Two Down
by dart53
Summary: When two team members are injured can Casino come up with a con that will let them complete their mission and get them all safely back to their own lines?
1. Chapter 1

**Two Down**

It was another one of the Army's simple little jobs. The Allies were about to make a push north in Italy and all the team had to do was deliver the details on where the enemy might have enough in the way of troops and material to make a stand against them. Three days to get set and five minutes with a safe in a certain German general's office and they had what they needed on film. With all the confusion as the Krauts scrambled to counter the exploratory advances the Allies were making it was no problem getting out of the city. They hooked up with a supply convoy that was headed towards the front lines and just peeled off when they'd gotten far enough away from town. After a quiet little drive in the country the Warden decided it was time for a costume change.

"Chief break out those American uniforms," Garrison stretched as he surveyed the rolling countryside around them. "Actor'll keep watch while you guys change."

"How come you and Beautiful here are stickin' with the Kraut get ups?" Casino asked as he started working the buttons down the front of his tunic.

"Insurance." They were on one of the secondary mountain roads leading south and had pulled off where they had a good view of the road as it curved and twisted below them. If anyone was following they'd be able to see them from here. "If we come across a German patrol you're our prisoners," Garrison shrugged as he turned his attention to the map spread across the hood of the car. "If we find an American one, we're yours, … at least until we can convince them we're all good guys."

"What if we find a bunch of Italians, then?"

Casino snorted a laugh. "Then it depends on which direction they're runnin."

"Knock it off Casino." The others were already changed, the group's safecracker had just come up to study the map over his shoulder.

"How far d'we have to go, Warden?"

Garrison tapped the map. "We're right about here," and let his finger trail along the paper. "Our guys are going to advance along this route. So we should make contact about here." He tapped the map again.

"Wouldn't it be safer to hook up with the underground and just let 'em radio our side that we're comin' instead a just showin' up uninvited?" Casino had just finished buttoning up his shirt and was absently tucking it into his pants.

"Come on, mate…" Goniff laughed and tossed his bundled German uniform to the group's scout. "That'd take all the excitement out a the trip."

"We lost contact with the group that works in this area a week ago." Folding the maps away into the pocket of his tunic Garrison straightened up and surveyed his men. Goniff was shrugging into a field jacket and Chief, already changed, was at the rear of the vehicle stowing their gear. "Casino." The Warden waited for the east coast con to turn and face him before he gestured to his outfit. "Those pants don't really go with that shirt."

Casino glanced down at his mismatched uniform and just stared a moment before it hit him. "Jeeze!"

"What's a matter Pappy?" Chief called over the top of the car. "Gettin' absent-minded in your old age?"

Turning the exasperation with himself into irritation with his Indian teammate he growled, "Shut up you!" in his direction and headed towards the back of the car where the rest of his American uniform was stored away.

Garrison moved up to stand just behind Actor. The mountain road snaked through trees on the way up to this low mountain pass. It was quiet behind them, the only thing that caught his eye was the rocking of the branches as a wind set them in motion. "See anything?"

"Nothing. It's so quiet down there it's hard to believe we are in a war zone." The con man turned a smile on his commander. "It looks like we got away cle…."

There was the sharp crack of gunfire and the aristocratic Italian was knocked off his feet. Garrison threw himself forward over the body of his fallen man, shouting "Take cover!" to the others as they scrambled for the protection of the car. As soon as he heard them returning fire he was up dragging Actor towards the vehicle.

"Where's it comin' from!?" Casino shouted. He pulled the front door to the car open and crouched down behind it searching the area for their attackers. Gunfire was coming in bursts and it seemed to echo off the rocks in the pass. He couldn't pin the direction down, it seemed to him like they were surrounded.

"The hillside above us!" Chief called out and jerked his head back and twisted away when the rear window shattered He turned to help the Warden as he tried to manhandle Actor into the German staff car. Casino and Goniff scrambled into the front and ducked as bullets pinged off the roof of the car and raised geysers of dust in the road around them.

Garrison slammed the door. "Get going!" Kneeling on the seat behind Casino he knocked the remaining shards of glass out of the rear window, making it easier for them to return fire. As they pulled out he and Chief concentrated their shots on the brambles that covered the slope to their right. Goniff sprayed the brush that lined the roadway on their left with one long burst from one of the machine guns they'd appropriated in the town they'd hit.

As soon as the hill disappeared behind them Garrison left the group's security to the others and turned his attention to Actor. Blood streamed down the con man's face and matted the hair over his left ear. He got no response when he called to him.

"How bad's he hit?"

"Looks like it's a head wound… He's bleeding pretty bad." His voice was laced with worry. "Goniff there should be a first aid kit under the dash up there."

Goniff felt under the dash and pulled the toggle that secured the kit. He flipped it open before handing it over the back seat. "Here y' go, Warden. Should we stop?"

"No! … Keep going." They'd left the gunfire behind but there was no way of knowing if they'd be followed. "Casino, get us off this road." He rummaged through the kit and pulled out a handful of cotton wool that he pressed over the wound. Blood saturated it as soon as Garrison applied it and he added another layer. Dumping the kit out on the seat next to Actor he searched until he found gauze to hold the rough dressing down and struggled to get it wrapped firmly around the con man's head and get it taped in place.

"You sure, Warden? This one's gonna be faster." Casino risked a glance in the mirror but all he could see was backs as Garrison continued to work on Actor and Chief kept watch out the ruined rear window.

"I'm sure! Do it, damn it! There may be another ambush on the road ahead. They can't cover all the side roads…. We have a better chance there."

Casino fought the heavy vehicle into a turn when he spotted the next lane that seemed to be going in the direction they wanted. It was rougher along this track and it was all he could do to keep control of the car as they jolted along at breakneck speed. Within several winding turns he'd come to a fork in the road. "Which way, Warden?"

"Warden?!"

g

They took the fork to the right, the one that led in the approximate direction of the main road and as soon as he could find one Casino pulled off into a small clearing, using a stand of trees to screen the car from view.

"What'd we do now?" There was a rare edge of panic in the Indian's voice.

"Why'n't we just go back? Those wasn't Jerries that hit us on the road. We'd a seen 'em. It had t'be the underground."

"Jeeze! Look at us! They're not gonna let us get close enough to explain to 'em who we are."

"But…"

"Casino's right, Goniff. They probably watched us while we were changin' out a our German uniforms."

"So they'll just think we're tryin' to pull a fast one on 'em." The east coast thief completed the explanation.

"Well what'r we gonna do, then? We can't just sit here and wait for these blokes t' bleed to death."

"Take it easy." Casino caught his lower lip in his teeth. "We'll think a somethin'." But they didn't have many options. They could just wait around while Garrison and the con man finished bleedin' out. Or they could take off and let 'em do it on their own while they got themselves as far away as they could….

"I still say we ought a go back…" Goniff pleaded. "We could leave 'em for the Jerries to find."

The safe cracker discounted that suggestion with a wave of his hand. "And they'd just patch 'em up so they'd be healthy enough to shoot when they found out who they'r really workin' for."

"How'd they find out, man? Nobody knows we hit that town back there."

"Look, dummy, there's a chance they might a had time to check out the names we gave 'em by now! And if they haven't they'll sure as hell have time to do it while these guys are gettin' taken care of at the hospital."

Garrison had been hit. They didn't know if it happened on the road when he turned to protect Actor or afterwards in the car. He passed out while he was trying to take care of their confidence man and blood continued to soak up into the pad Goniff made from his field jacket. It was obvious both men needed more than just the little first aid the car's kit offered, Actor had already used almost all of it up, and they needed that help a whole lot faster than the time it would take them to find their way to, and get through, the American lines.

Casino carefully pulled the map from Garrison's pocket and confirmed their situation. They were too far from the Allies and they couldn't go back to the German occupied town they'd left behind. Even if he'd been willing to risk the town the only way back was down the road where they'd been attacked. He was sure if it had been partisans that hit them back there they'd be only too happy to finish the job as soon as they saw the car again. They wouldn't have a chance to explain who they were because they probably wouldn't fall for a truce flag. If by some miracle they managed to keep from getting killed and convince them, he thought, those guys lived on the run, they wouldn't be set up to help the two injured men.

"OK. This is what we're gonna do." The faces the others turned to him held a mixture of skepticism and expectation. "There's a town off here to the east, … but we know we gotta go south." Casino rattled the map to draw their probing eyes away from his face. "I'll take these two in the car and head for the town and you guys take the stuff and beat it for our lines." He kept his head down waiting for the arguments he knew would come but the only thing that hit his hunched shoulders was silence. After a moment he risked a glance at his teammates. Chief sat with Actor's head cradled in his lap as he continued to apply pressure to the dressing on the side of his head but he'd turned his face away and was silently studying the trees that surrounded them, Goniff just stared back at him over the body of their unconscious commander.

"You been spendin' too much time around the Warden, mate."

"Yeah." Chief turned back to face the group's explosive expert over Garrison's map. "Nothin doin' Pappy. We all go south, or we all go east."

"And ya better pick a direction pretty fast," the cockney glanced down at Garrison and Actor. "'cause I don't think we got a lot a time."

"Look! I'm tellin' ya it's the only way." He insisted. "I can bluff my way through in Italian and…"

"You'r barking mad, mate! If it was Actor doin' it, it wouldn't even work… You ain't wearin' an Italian uniform."

"We're not buyin'." The words were quiet but there was no mistaking the steely resolve behind them. "Think a somethin' else, man."

He shoved his fingers through his dark hair as he studied the map. An idea was forming and if anyone else tried to pitched it he'd have told them they were nuts. Casino shook his head and tried to dislodge it but it was firmly entrenched, and it was crazy enough it just might work. "OK. What about this? … …"

ggg


	2. Chapter 2

"Partigiani! Partigiani sulla strada." The driver shouted as the car approached the barrier. "Ospedale?! Attenzione medica! Questi uomini hanno bisogno immediatamente..".

The car was a gory mess and riddled with bullet holes. The men in it were all covered in blood. The driver wore a German tunic open down the front over a non regulation shirt. The men in the back appeared to be in American uniforms. They were so stained with blood it was hard to tell. The injured were German officers. The sight was enough to confuse and shock the guard manning the roadblock at the north edge of town into letting them through. The barrier lifted and the car raced past.

"Ospedale?!" The shouted plea from the driver got them a stiffened arm pointing the way and a moment later they'd picked up a motorcycle riding guide.

It didn't go as smoothly at the entrance to the small hospital. When they poured out of the car rifles were immediately leveled at the two men wearing blood stained American uniforms.

"Halt! Stehen Sie noch und setzen Sie Ihre Hände über Ihrem Kopf." The German corporal heading the small contingent of guards was young and looked like he was new at his job. He blanched at the sight of all the blood. "Wer sind Sie?"

Casino stepped to the front of the group. "Amici. … Freunde. Siamo dallo stesso lato." His words didn't match the uniform he wore but he hoped the shock of seeing them would carry them through here as it had at the barricade.

"Was ist geschehen?" The young man's voice was strained as he fought to control the bile rising in his throat. He was newly assigned and this was his first taste of what war could do to the human body.

"Jeeze!" Casino ran a frustrated hand through his hair turned towards the others and mumbled under his breath. "This is gonna take too damned long."

"Englisch! Amerikanisch!?"

The square built dark-haired man rounded on the soldier standing in his way and gestured violently with his hands causing the young man to flinch back away from him. "Nessun voi idiota! Italiano! Italienisch!"

"Dieses ist zu schwierig." The man blocking the entrance to the hospital turned to one of the soldiers standing near the door in frustration. "Senden Sie für jemand, wer Italienisch oder Englisch spricht."

A moment later a young orderly appeared in the entry, back by two others, and made a tentative offer of help. "Gefreiter Reinhold, Ich sprechen Englisch und ein wenig Italienisches."

"Damn! Finally!" Casino turned his attention from the corporal who headed up the guards to the newly arrived interpreter. "Look we're on the same side. You gotta get these guys some help or they're both done for!"

"Ich verstehe Sie nicht. Sprechen Sie langsam." The young man searched for the words he needed. "Speak slowly."

"Dead" Casino jammed his finger in the orderly's chest oblivious to the rifles that were aimed in his direction. He spoke one word at a time, slowly, carefully and at full volume. "Understand? I morti, capiscono!? Tot? Dead!?" At the first sign of comprehension in the interpreter's eyes the words came at full flow again. "The partisans hit us on the road a few miles back. If you don't do somethin' soon their both gonna die!"

After a quick conference the young man in charge finally lowered his weapon and waved the orderlies who were still standing in the doorway through. Once the guards were behind them they were easy to ignore, for the moment all their attention was on Actor and the Warden as they were loaded on stretchers. But as soon as the large party made it through the swinging doors rifles were lowered again, trying to separate them from the gurneys.

"Nothin' doin' buddy. We're stickin' with them. Dobbiamo rimanere con il nostro comandante ! …." And before the argument could get started again Casino, closely followed by the others, shouldered past the startled corporal and his guards and trailed the stretchers into a treatment room just like they had every right to.

Herding Goniff and Chief in front of him into the far corner of the room Casino turned to make his stand. The corporal considered them a moment before waving two of his men forward.

The set of their rifles was pretty clear, there was no real need for an interpreter. They were about to the be searched and the temporary group leader'd forgotten one little, minor detail. Along with the Warden's map Casino had taken the film of the documents they'd been sent after. He tried to squeeze back behind the others to buy time and dump the stuff somewhere but the guards had other ideas. The man closest to him reached out and clamped a hand on his shoulder while the other centered his rifle on his chest. Casino threw a quick look of resigned regret to his teammates. There was no way in Hell he'd be able to get rid of the small cassette of microfilm… they were done for. He took a step forward and raised his hands as he was ordered and tried to make peace with his past.

The corporal and one guard covered him while the third man made his search. He was damn thorough too, working his way around him, turning his pockets out and patting him down. Casino did his best to remember to keep breathing. As soon as the German soldier finished with him he elbowed the stunned con away and turned his attention on Chief. While his heart tried to pound it's way out of his chest the safecracker watched as first their scout and then the little pick pocket went through the same thorough process. The only thing the guard took from them was the pistols they'd shoved in their pants and as he tried to convince his racing heart that he wasn't going to be killed just yet he found he was damned glad they still carried German pieces, the American weapons were stashed in the car.

They shuffled together in their new corner and after a moments glaring match with the inexperienced soldier the interpreter was called on again to explain the ground rules. After listening a moment he relayed their orders.

"Gefreiter Reinhold says you will remain here. If you go out from here you will be shot." As soon as he'd gotten their agreement in the form of shrugged shoulders and wary nods the young man left his interpreting duties behind and went back to his job as a medical orderly and assistant and started carefully cutting away Garrison's ruined uniform.

The German corporal took one more look at the blood soaked clothing, swallowed hard to try and control his nausea and waved his men out into the fresh air of the hall where they took up a position in front of the door, the backs of their heads could be seen through the window in the door. With the rifles outside the room the three cons turned into the corner for a hurried conference.

"What n' the hell'd you do with the stuff?!" Casino demanded in a strangled whisper.

Goniff winked and tapped Casino's pocket and whispered back. "Blimey! Not a thing. What'd you take me for, some kind a crook?" Then he shrugged. "I took it off you and stashed it on that Jerry while he searched Chiefy, then I took it off 'im an' gave it back after he was finished workin' me over."

It was a moment before he could get his brain to understand it, Casino hadn't felt a thing. The relief that washed over him left him speechless.

"Now what?" was Goniff's softly uttered question. "What about the uniforms we got? What about the papers we ain't got?!" As the German foot soldiers they usually played they never carried papers, and they didn't have American dog tags or ID's, relying on the Warden to talk them across the Allied lines.

It felt like he was still trying to catch up to what was going on around them. "Follow my lead…. And Goniff, when those Krauts are in here keep your mouth shut." Chief knew some Spanish, so if he threw an Italian accent on it he could probably fool a German into believing he spoke Italian, sort a…. and Casino sort a spoke Italian, courtesy of doin' time with an Italian cellmate and a lot a work with Actor and one a the books out a the library at the mansion, but they all knew one word out a the pick pocket's mouth and it was all over. Besides he was counting on being able to carry the whole thing off in English. The Germans and Italians generally didn't speak each other's lingo.

They only had time for the one hurried meeting before there was a commotion at the door and the doctor swept in. The man guarding them had obviously given him a quick run down on the situation inside, he addressed the group in heavily accented English.

"Who are you? What has happened here?" He fixed his gaze on the square built dark haired man who stood shielding the other two and waited for the answer as his assistant helped him into his gloves.

"We're a special intelligence unit." Easiest thing was to go with the truth, he'd just leave out a few critical details. "We got hit on the road…. About twenty, thirty minutes ago."

"Hmm." He approached the taller of the two patients. When he lifted away the dressing on the side of the man's head he was met with a sluggish flow of blood through the black hair. He gently probed around the wound with his fingers and was gratified to feel nothing but solid bone. He knew there could still be a great deal of damage but at least there was no depressed skull fracture. The doctor motioned for one of the orderlies to continue applying pressure to the wound as he completed a cursory exam. He glanced up as he moved to start his examination of the other patient. "You stopped to give this first aid?"

"Yeah. We couldn't manage it with the car movin'." Casino watched as the doctor felt for the Warden's pulse, then turned to take his blood pressure. The orderly was still working on stripping his uniform off. After a moments hesitation he stepped forward to help. He could see Chief out of the corner of his eye, he'd followed him to Garrison's side and Goniff stepped over to the cot that held Actor.

The doctor studied them a moment before accepting their offering of assistance with a nod of his head. The orderly working with Actor showed Goniff how to apply pressure to the bandage and turned to collect more supplies to clean and temporarily stitch the wound until the doctor had more time to deal with it properly. The man working with the Warden was the one who spoke some English.

"Lift him, please." And as soon as they'd carefully raised the Warden off the cot he drew off the stained uniform jacket and shirt and dumped them on the floor, sliding the bundle out of the way with his foot.

"Kurt, werden wir benötigen Röntgenbilder beider Männer. Sehen Sie zu ihm."

"Ja Doktor, sofort." The young man said quietly as he continued about his duties.

"Verzeihen Sie mir. Sie sprechen nicht Deutsches tun Sie?" And after letting the silence thicken in the room a moment the doctor repeated, "Forgive me. You do not speak German do you?"

"Ich spracke genoog." Casino offered in mangled German. "I speak just enough to stay out of trouble."

The doctor gave a short laugh. "It is the same with my Italian… So we must speak together in English. Your friends require some tests to tell me what is wrong inside." He indicated Actor with a wave of his hand. "That one may have a fracture to his skull or there is a slight chance the bullet may have penetrated. It will go very badly for him if that has happened because we are a small medical unit and I am not experienced in that type of injury." He stepped a little closer to the Warden and prodded the bleeding wound in his side with a gloved finger. "This one will go to surgery and unless there is a great deal of damage inside he will do well for I am a very good surgeon."

With that the doctor stripped off his gloves and headed for the door, calling over his shoulder as he went. "Kurt, Sehen Sie zu ihm diese Männer tragen Blut bei."

The door had hardly closed on the doctor when it was pushed open to admit a technician bearing a tray of supplies. He set up next to Actor and quietly went about draining a couple of syringes of blood out of him before turning on Garrison. By the time he finished another man was backing through the door dragging a contraption along with him. By now they'd all spent enough time in hospitals to recognize the small portable x-ray unit. The orderly, Kurt, turned on them. "The doctor says you will donate blood now," and without waiting for a reply he turned to leave the room.

They were all reluctant to leave the two injured men alone but one look at the bloody bandages got them going. They'd been hit for blood a number of times in England and even in the field once they crossed back into Allied territory after a job. The three cons formed up behind the orderly and waited as he explained their way through the blockade on the door.

"Sie spenden Blut zu unseren Truppen" The young man on guard duty at the door hesitated a moment but Kurt cut through his indecision. "Der Doktor bestellt es!" With a quick nod the soldier stepped out of their way and took up a stance just inside the door to the exam room. A few moments later the three cons were perched on benches outside a lab silently waiting their turn to lay down and be tapped for blood.

g

When they returned to the room two men still stood on guard outside and the corporal was at his post inside. The room was deserted except for Actor lying motionless on his cot, the Warden was gone. Before they could question the arrangement the German corporal, Reinhold, was standing in front of them stiff necked, issuing his commands.

"Bleiben, wo Sie sind, bis ich von meinem Kommandanten höre. Verstehen Sie? Aufenthalt hier!" Raising the muzzle of his rifle the corporal underlined his point. "Ein äußerer Schritt und Sie sind Schuß!"

"Sì, sì! Nessun problema." Casino pushed past him, yanked the door open and turned to glare at the youngster. "Ich verstehe!" Casino glared at him. "I understand now will ya get outta here?!"

Goniff waited for the door to close before turning on the safecracker in amazement. "Bloody Hell, Casino! You'r pretty good at that!"

"Yeah?" Casino took a deep breath and tried to settle his nerves. "Well I didn't know most a what he was sayin'… but that 'stay put or get shot' came through pretty damned clear."

"I think we all understood that one, man." Chief took up a spot where he could watch out the window that was cut in the door, the other two headed for Actor.

Goniff took the con man by the shoulder and gently shook him, hoping for some kind of reaction but their second in command remained stubbornly unconscious. Accepting Casino as the leader now the little pick pocket turned worried eyes on him. "What d'we do if… uh, … if…. You know… if…" He couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"Hey, look nothing's gonna happen. Not to either of 'em." Casino tried to wave the cat burglar's concern away as he started to pace.

"But that doctor fella, he said…"

"Aw, what does he know!. We're the ones know how hard headed Actor is. Nothin's gonna happen, you'll see." Their positions were reversed. Usually it was Goniff looking for and finding the positive angle on any job or jam they were in. This time he was the one that needed reassuring and Casino could hardly blame him. Stuck behind enemy lines with both Actor and the Warden down, and the Allies advancing? The whole time he was playing at being confident he was trying to decide just what would be better; them being found out and shot for spies by the Krauts, or them gettin' knocked off by friendly fire as the GI's moved up to take this place.

"Listen, Actor's tough. He's gonna be alright… you'll see." Slouching against the counter near the cot he considered their Italian teammate and regretted all the times he'd wished he'd keep a lid on all that information he had stored in his head. All the places he'd been, the girls he'd known, the people he knew about… His version of what their orders were, his take on what was goin' on in the Warden's head… His ideas on how to get them out of a jam… His experience on takin' care of one a them if they were hurt….

Casino moved up next to the stretcher and frowned down at the con man a moment before sliding his hand up to cup the man's jaw. He turned the big Italian's head back and forth slightly searching for some kind of reaction and was rewarded with a minute change in the set of the eyebrows and a tiny tightening of the area around the eyes. "Come on know-it-all!"

g

It was a good two hours they were left in that room, but they were rarely alone. They used the first hour to try and go over their story, get it all hammered out in the brief minutes they were on their own. The rest of the time they just worried as the orderlies made their way in and out, checking on Actor or bringing test results that they clipped on the board that hung at the head of the stretcher he was on. One guy brought in the films that carried the pictures of his skull… When he left they flipped the light box on and had themselves a good look. Goniff couldn't take too much of that, told them it was like 'lookin' at a bloody skeleton!' but Casino and Chief studied the pictures, looking for anything they thought might be the slug that had hit him. There wasn't anything other than the ghostly shadows of an image of what Actor would look like ten years after he was dead and buried.

Commotion in the hall alerted them in time to be slouched casually around the room when the door opened again. Their inexperienced jailor was playing doorman for a German sergeant, one that got right to the point.

"Gefreiter Reinhold tells me you do not speak enough German to do us any good. He also tells me you and your friends do not have papers, …. Even if you did they would be suspect." The young man studied them as he strolled back and forth. "So you will tell me now who you are and why you are dressed like enemies but claiming to be friends. I am sure it will be a very interesting tale."

They'd worked out the basics of a plan now all they had to do was sell it. He took a deep breath and prayed his voice wouldn't break and betray them. "We're on the same side, like I told the other guy. We're an intelligence unit and the uniforms…" Casino glanced down at his stained clothing. "They're just the tools we gotta use to get our jobs done."

"And what are these 'jobs' you do?" The German NCO settled a hip against the counter, tapping his fingers as he waited.

Casino studied the man's uniform and spent a half a second in mind numbing panic before his brain kicked in and he found the word he wanted. "Sorry, Feldwebel, you know how it is…. Top secret. The boss would kill us if we said anything without his permission."

The young NCO turned an ice blue glare towards the older man lying motionless on the cot. "He does not appear to be in any condition to give me the information I want."

"Not him!" Casino scoffed. "He's just one a us… The doctor's got the guy that runs the show. You'll just have to wait for him."

"And that will take too long and I need my answers now!" The German NCO motioned his man forward and lifted his own pistol out of the holster at his waist. "You will tell me now, or you will be removed to the security cells." he watched as a look passed between the three men.

It didn't take any genius to make the decision… They had to stay together, they had to stick with Actor and they had to be there when the Warden was brought back.

"Now hang on." Casino chewed on his lower lip a moment. "Alright! But I'm not gettin' in trouble for this. You're gonna be the one that explains it to the boss!"

ggg

The German sergeant listened without comment, then started pacing the room. He turned and stared at the man who had taken on the duty of spokesman. "You don't mean for me to believe this claim do you?"

Casino tried to maintain his relaxed slouch in front of the man. He tried to convince himself that he just had to win over this one guy… just one guy at a time and everything would turn out all right. "I don't give a damn if you believe it or not. It's the truth and Oberleutnant Loder will confirm it just as soon as the doctor finishes up and he comes around."

The sergeant stopped his pacing and moved towards Actor only to find his way blocked by three determined men standing shoulder to shoulder. "And what of this one?" He gestured towards the injured man with his hand. "Will he confirm it also?"

"Yeah. If his head's still on straight when he wakes up."

Feldwebel Rall studied the group in front of him. There'd been rumors, of course, claims that the high command had ways of obtaining information on the enemy's movements but at his lowly station he was not privy to those reports. There were movies and books, stories in the popular magazines, but that was fiction…wasn't it? He felt a thrill at the thought of making fools of the enemy in this manner, of using their own people against them. "You will wait here until Leutnant Neurath returns. I'm sure he will be very interested in what you have to say." He turned towards the door, stopping to fix them with a determined stare before he moved through. "Just as I am sure you will be happy to explain yourselves to him!"

Corporal Reinhold who had provided backup during their interview followed the German sergeant out of the room and remained on guard outside in the hall. Goniff waited for the door to settle before turning on Casino. "Loder?!" He hissed. "Who the Bloody Hell is Loder?"

"The Warden, dummy." They'd only been able to get the basics down, he was adding the fine details as they went along.

"How d'you come up with that, then?" The pick pocket stared at him open mouthed as he waited for his answer.

"It's his grandfather's name. Don't you remember?"

"Well….. Uh, yeah…. But why call him that?" The little cockney frowned and scratched at the back of his head. "…. And what about that over Leutnant stuff?"

"Jeeze! We can hardly call him Garrison can we? That's no kinda German name. And it's _**Ober**_leutnant. He's a first lieutenant isn't he? That's just his real rank in Kraut."

"Blimey Casino you'r full a surprises."

"I just listen… Now will you shut up." He shouldered past Goniff and headed back to Actor's cot. "We gotta get through to this one or we're dead meat. Chief, keep an eye on the door. Come on Sleeping Beauty!" Casino tapped the unconscious man lightly on the side of his face. "Will ya wake up now?"

"These guys are kinda young… all of 'em. You notice?"

"Yeah. The big wigs are probably high tailin' it north. They know what's about to hit this burg and they don't want any part of it." Actor's eyebrows were doin' a little bit more dancin' around, but that was about it. Casino motioned Goniff over to take up the poking and prodding and walked back to stand next to Chief as he kept watch on the door. "If they all keep waitin' for a guy that's higher up on the ladder to come along to deal with us we might just get the time we need to get out a this mess."

"You believe that?" Chief shifted his attention from the door to the safe cracker and gave him a quick smile.

Casino gave a snort and turned back to Actor. "Aw, Hell no!"

g

The next one through the door finally caused the tension in the room to drop a bit. The doctor was still done up in his surgical gown and it was stained across the front with blood but he was smiling.

"Everything go OK?"

"As I told you it would. Your friend is a very lucky man. It was a small caliber round." The doctor raised his hand, his fingers held close together to illustrate his claim. "And I believe it may have hit something else before it hit him. Your comrade has a few broken ribs, he has lost a great deal of blood because a small artery was severed. The muscles in his side and back are damaged… I was able to repair it all. With some rest he should recover."

The men were assembled next to the cot their forth member was on but fell back out of the way as the medic approached and started his exam. "The radiographs were brought to me. There is no penetrating wound and no apparent fracture. Has he regained consciousness?"

"Almost." Casino shrugged at the doctor's frown. "He got his eyes open once but it didn't last. And he's been mumbling… talking, to himself."

"He has a concussion. Those can be very serious… or very simple. He will have to wake up for us to know." Reaching back he pulled at the ties that held the gown in place and stripped it off, tossing it aside in the corner. "You will help by talking to him. When he wakes he will be confused. He may not understand where he is, or what has happened. He may not even know you." And to their worried frowns he continued. "If it is a simple concussion that will not last long."

"So we can stay with him, right?"

"Yes." He reached up and rubbed at the back of his neck. It had been a long day and he was tired. "As I said, it will help him to have familiar people near by."

"What about Loder?" Casino stopped at the doctor's questioning look and replayed all that had happened up til now. The doctor hadn't been in the room when he'd christened the Warden. Hell, neither had the Warden! They'd have to find some way to get to him to let him know what was going on. "Oberleutnant Loder's the one you cut on. He's the commander...the Kommandant of this group."

"He is being watched… it is customary after surgery. When he is stable he will be taken to a room."

"Look, we all stay together. Even on our base they keep us kind a apart from the other groups…"

The doctor raised an eyebrow in their direction. "And why is this?"

Casino shrugged and did his best to grin. "The other commanders don't want us around their men and I don't think Oberleutnant Loder trusts us much."

The military commander had stripped him of most of his staff and he was short handed. The doctor considered the anxious looks from the three strangers and made his decision. These men could easily be instructed in what to watch for as they waited for their commander to come out of his drugged sleep. The other man would be waking soon, he was certain, and would benefit from the reassurance of familiar people around him. "Very well. I can see no harm in housing all of you in the hospital until your friends are fully conscious."

"The guy on the other side a this door might have a different idea." Chief offered quietly.

He waved the concern away. "Until the military commander returns I am the ranking officer here. He will follow my orders." Even when Giordano was present, by date of rank he was still the raking officer but, and he laughed at the absurdity of the thought, they rarely left a doctor in charge during a war.


	3. Chapter 3

g

They were still waiting for some word on the Warden. Casino had come close to wearing a path in the floor as he paced from corner to corner, until Goniff pulled him off course and pushed him in a new direction, just to break the monotony. After seeing the safe cracker set on his new course the little man turned back to their Italian teammate. He'd been tossing about a bit and groaning to hisself. Goniff was ready to make a deal with God, or fate, or whoever was in charge of the kind a trouble they were in. He settled on the chair and pulled it closer to the bed. He'd give up anything, he decided; pinching those little things he found so appealing when they was out on a job, baiting Casino into bets he couldn't win because he always managed to find a way to cheat him out of it,… even his loaded dice, if the con man would just wake up and look at him. He was all set to make the vow to him when he glanced up and found himself looking into a pair of dark, questioning eyes.

He was a wake! He was looking at him…. But that was about all.

"Hey, Actor, how ya doin', mate?" All that got was a slight shift away from him and an increase in the suspicious look on the con man's face. Goniff turned a worried frown on the others as they made their way back to the Italian's bedside. "What's wrong with 'im?"

"Jeeze! Didn't you listen to that doctor? His brains are all scrambled. Lemme in there a minute." Casino pulled Goniff off his perch and pushed the cockney behind him, back out of the way. "So… How'r you feelin', Actor?" He watched the man they counted on to be their second in command when anything went wrong shift his gaze from one to the other of them and he could see a hint of panic in his eyes. He shoved his hand through his dark hair as he thought a moment. Casino took a deep breath and tried his best to look relaxed and confident. "Siete buono?"

"Sì, grazie." He wasn't, but it was the polite response to the question.

"Dove siete?" Casino tried next.

Looking around the room he tried to pull the information from the swirling chaos that threatened his sanity. _"_Sembra essere un Ospedale."

_"_Buon! Vi ricordate che, … uh, che cosa è accaduto?"

_"_Nessun… non posso…" He peered at each man in turn as they stood shoulder to shoulder next to his bed. He searched their faces, hoping for enough information to make some sense out of his current situation.

_"_Avete preso una… pailoto….No, wait." Casino looked up at the ceiling hoping to find his inspiration there. "Uh…pallottola,… pallottola alla testa."

Actor closed his eyes a moment and tried to remember what he could have been doing, what kind of mistake he could have made that would lead to this. _"_Perché?"

"_Perche?! _Jeeze! _Because_ we're in the middle of a war!" And right after he opened his mouth he wished he could kick himself. Actor looked like he'd been getting a little more comfortable with them but with the shift back to English his guard went up again.

"S'no good if he only speaks Italian Casino." Chief reminded him as he laid a hand lightly on his shoulder. "We all gotta talk to him."

"Yeah! I know. I know!" Casino took a deep breath, shrugged the hand off, and tried to forget how much he wanted to punch a wall. "You can speak English? Potete parlare inglese?."

"Of course." He hadn't realized it before, but as soon as the question was put to him he knew the answer he gave was true.

"Great!" Then he thought about where they were and what they had to do to get out. "What about German?" That didn't get him anywhere and Casino had to search around for the word he wanted. _"_E tedesco?"

"Natürlich."

"Swell!" At least they'd have someone who'd be able to really talk to the Krauts for 'em…" He took another look at the confusion on the con man's face… Maybe.

Pressing a shaky hand to the bandage on the side of his head Actor took a deep breath and asked. "Chi sono voi?"

Casino turned on him, he was in no mood to go sliding backwards. "Will you speak English, …. please. Parlerete inglese,…. per favore!"

"Certamente." Actor agreed, reasonably. "If that is what you wish."

Casino just stood and stared at him a moment. For some weird reason he couldn't understand the con man could do what they asked once they asked him to do it.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?"

"Us?" Goniff grinned and rolled his eyes. "Blimey! We're yer mates…"

Actor just looked at them, frowning and waiting. He could speak English just not Goniff's version of it.

Casino elbowed the pick pocket out of the way. "Will you keep out a this? Look we all work together."

"Really?" Surely he must be hallucinating.

"Yeah, for the Army."

The con man looked from one man to the other. "Which one?"

"Jeeze!" Casino's worry and frustration boiled over and he had to turn away.

"Take it easy Pappy." Chief laid a hand on the explosive expert's arm for a moment and took over. "Actor… that's you. We're in big trouble. We work for the Allies, for the American's, but we're stuck in a German army hospital in Italy."

Actor frowned at him, concern overriding his confusion. "But they are at war, are they not?"

"That's right!" Chief agreed. "And if we don't play it just the right way we're gonna get shot as spies so you gotta listen and do just what we tell you to do…. Got it?"

He studied each man in turn, their soiled clothing added weight and drama to their claims. Two of them were outfitted in American attire but the third had articles of both a German and American uniform… He let his eyes roam around the room. There were no guards, no signs to support their claims… nothing but the blood stained uniforms and the urgency in their manner. "What do I have to do?"

Casino turned back and took over again. He didn't know if any of this was really getting through and sticking. Actor had that look on his face that people got when they were humoring kids or talking to nut cases. He snorted to himself, drawing concerned stares from the other two men. Well, if there was a crazier set up than the one they were in he'd never heard of it and he hoped to hell he'd never have to live through it.

"Alright, listen up, this is what we already told 'em."

ggg

"Your premise is dramatic enough but it seems your plot is a bit thin." Now it was their turn to stare at him. "It lacks detail."

"Jeeze! I know that! That's what we got you for." He clapped a hand on the con man's shoulder. "You'r the idea man." That only got him part way to where he needed to go. "You and the Warden, you run this little outfit. When he's out a commission you take over…" Casino snorted a laugh. "Even when he's _**in**_ commission you and him work up the dodges… the 'plots' we use."

The story was outlandish, surely some kind of joke… But it had elements that seemed so familiar... Before he could ask who this 'Warden' was the door to the room swung open. Two of the men moved back to slouch against the wall, leaving the one who seemed to have all of the answers alone near his bed. He looked to him for direction and mimicked him when he looked up at the orderly standing in the doorway.

"The doctor sent me to tell you. They will move your other friend soon from observation. I will find some help and then we will bring you all to a room where you will stay together." He spared a quick smile for the patient on the cot. "The doctor will be pleased to see you awake." and then he left to find the help he needed.

Casino watched as the door swung closed. Just great! They needed about a week to get the con man up to speed and it looked like they had about two minutes… "Look you gotta go along with this, Actor, or we're all dead. Got it?" He raised a warning finger and pointed right at the sophisticated con artist. "And keep it in English so we know what's goin' on."

g

They'd barely gotten settled in the new room the orderly found for them when the door swung open and the doctor stepped through. "Ich sehe, dass unser Freund wach ist. I see that our friend is awake. Wie geht es Ihnen? How are you?

Actor stammered a bit and seemed to stumble over the words "Was ist geschehen?" then shifted into Italian. " Chi sono voi e dove è questo posto?"

"Easy. This is the doctor. He doesn't understand, you need to speak English to him." Actor just continued to stare at him and Casino didn't know if it was an act or not so he dropped into Italian. "Facile. Ciò è il medico. Parlerete ingles."

As soon as the patient nodded and shifted his attention back on him the doctor started in again. "What is your name, please?"

"Ilario Burla" The name rolled off his tongue easily enough to be the truth… maybe it was.

"Can you tell me what happened to you?"

Actor glanced at Casino and then back at the doctor. "They said I was shot while we were working."

The doctor nodded, making note of the switch to what the patient had been told rather than what he knew. "Will you tell me the names of your friends, please?"

The con man studied the men standing just behind the doctor. He'd been told, he remembered the names, but he wasn't sure just which man had taken them. He decided against trying to guess, shaking his head instead.

These were probably new associations. He adjusted his questioning. "Do you have a family?"

He thought for a moment before he answered. "I have a brother."

"And what is his name?"

He puzzled over that for a moment too. "Leonzio."

"Please tell me where you live?"

He raised an eyebrow. He didn't know why he knew it, but he didn't think 'England' would be the best answer to give the man standing in front of him and the questions were making him dizzy. "I'm not sure.." Bringing his hand to the bandage on his head Actor leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. "I don't seem to remember."

"Do not worry, my friend, you will. In time I believe it will all come back to you." As he went about his exam he continued to reassure the patient. Head injuries could be so unpredictable though... While he was encouraged that the man had been able to identify himself, there was still a chance all of the deficits might not resolve with time. He pulled a chair up next to the bed and settled on it to ask a few more questions but before he could get started the intercom overhead sputtered to life. Heaving a sigh he pushed to his feet again. "Forgive me. I hoped to be here when they brought the other man in but I am the only doctor here now and," he indicated the speaker in the ceiling with a weary wave of his hand as he reached the door and pulled it open. "they have other plans for me."

g

Ten minutes later the Warden had finally been installed in the second bed but Kurt wasn't the one who brought him in so they had no way to get any information on how he was doing. The three men hovered around the bed for a few moments wondering what to do next.

Casino lifted the chart off the foot rail of the cot where the orderly hung it and walked over to Actor's bed. Goniff had been trying to explain again who they were and what they did and Actor's usual part in it all. At the safe cracker's approach the little man gave their confused second's shoulder a squeeze and moved out of the way.

Casino looked at the papers he had in his hand then up at Actor. The European con man was pale and perspiration beaded across his forehead. He'd complained as soon as the doctor left and they'd doused the lights but his eyes were still tight, squinted against the subdued light filtering in from the window. He must have one hell of a headache, the safe cracker thought. Taking a deep breath he handed the clipboard over and asked. "Can you understand what they got written down here?"

Actor frowned and took the chart, after a moment of flipping through the pages he handed it back and rubbed at his eyes, shaking his head. "The hand writing is too hard to make out."

The east coast con took another look at the notes scrawled across the page. Even if the mess had been written in English he didn't think anyone would be able to decipher it. "What about these numbers here?" He tapped the chart with a stiffened finger. "They mean anything?" And he handed the board back.

Actor took it again with a weary sigh. Surely the man was joking, there was no reason he should be able to understand what was written here, no reason they should expect him to have an opinion about it. The sheets had a format, there were headings across the top where the numbers were written, then a space below for the hastily entered notes. He'd tell this inquisitive man what the headings were… that's all he could do. "Here is where they record the blood pressure…." But as he looked at the numbers they seemed to make a bit of sense to him. "They seem quite low." The con man flipped to the next page and scowled at the numbers scribbled there. "And these laboratory values… the cell counts and hemoglobin levels are low too. He must have lost a great deal of blood."

The safe cracker turned a critical eye on their leader. It didn't take any fancy reports to convince him the Warden was running a couple a quarts low. He was about the same color as the sheet he was layin' on! "Great! So how long d'you figure before he wakes up and we can get out a here?" But his answer was only silence and when he turned around he was faced with that half panicked, confused look again.

Goniff shifted closer to the con man's bed and patted him on the shoulder. "'At's OK, mate. You heard that doctor fella. He said you'd remember everything again… It'll just take a bit a time, that's all." Then he turned an irritated glare on Casino. "Why'n't you just lay off 'im for a bit and let 'im get some rest, eh?!"

"Yeah. Yeah, OK!" he heaved an exasperated sigh by way of apology and continued with a shrug. "Look I'm sorry, alright. It's just that I'm not used to this… Jeeze! Most a the time we can't shut you up."

Actor's mouth lifted in a quick smile. "That must be very irritating."

"You got no idea!" Casino rolled his eyes in agreement, but he countered quickly with, "But it's all stuff we need. Stuff that gets us outta trouble…."

Actor's gaze traveled over the three men to the young man laying in the next bed and back to the one who seemed to have taken charge. "Then I'm sorry I don't have the information you need now because I believe we are in a great deal of trouble."

He snorted a laugh. That was an understatement if he'd ever heard one! "That's OK." He laid a hand on the European confidence man's shoulder. "Like Goniff said, you'll remember eventually. And," Casino moved back over to Garrison's bed. "it looks like we're not goin' anywhere for a while anyway. You go ahead and get some rest."

ggg

Leutnant Neurath pushed the door open and started shouting questions as soon as he entered the room. "Chi sono voi? Identifichi la vostro comandante, la vostra unità e la vostra missione, immediatamente!"

Over the few hours they'd been left on their own they'd gotten used to being in the room alone and the man's abrupt entrance had startled all of them. Goniff was sitting between the beds, Chief had taken up a spot by the window near Actor who was sleeping again, and Casino had gone back to pacing back and forth at the end of the beds. They all came together to stand shoulder to shoulder between the new comer and their injured teammates.

It was up to him to be the pitchman for the group and he couldn't do it. He just wasn't fast enough. Casino understood what the man wanted, but couldn't get his head and his tongue wrapped around an answer in time.

Neurath leaned back against the door, blocking the way out of the room and watched the men as they shared a nervous look. "So you are not Italian after all."

"Don't bet on it baby!" Casino took a step forward and jerked his thumb towards his chest. "I'm full blooded Italian alright… Born and bred in Chicago's Near West Side." He grabbed Chief's arm and pulled him forward. "Mario here's out a Jersey City. And keep it down, will ya!? We got a couple injured guys in here!" All the noise had started the Warden tossin' on his cot. Casino gave Chief a shove in his direction, Goniff was already back in position over by Actor's bed, and he took a step closer to the officer leaning on the door.

The German lieutenant studied the spokesman a moment. Italian Americans? He'd heard stories that there was a growing movement in support of the Italian Duce and it was reported that men were flocking home to enlist. Until now he'd thought that just another propaganda ploy but he seemed to have the proof standing right before him. "And what are you doing here?"

"Same as you… fightin' for a cause." It was true and the safe cracker tried to put all the conviction he could muster into his answer.

"The same cause I suppose?" Neurath still had his doubts. Surely they would have been informed if there were expatriate Americans in the forces here… Even if he believed that part of the tale it didn't account for their uniforms or the way they arrived in town. "How do you come to be here?"

Casino took a deep breath before he launched into their story. They'd decided to follow some of the guidelines they'd gotten way back when the group was first formed. They'd gone through fake interrogations then. One of the dodges was to mix the truth with so many lies that you got confused yourself as to what was really goin' on. This was easier, he was stickin' to the facts, with a few minor changes, and all he had to do was sell it until the Warden woke up and took over…

"Oberleutnant Loder recruited us outta prisons in the states." Casino let the Kraut chew on that one a minute. "He said it was the best way to get back at 'em for they way they treated us and our families over there."

Neurath frowned at the group's spokesman. "And how do you do this? How do you 'get back at them'?"

"By snoopin' around the American's lines and bringin' back information on how many guys they got. By getting' in where they think they got their battle plans stashed all nice n' safe and takin' pictures that we bring back to our side." Casino shot the man a conspiratorial smile. "By pretendin' to be them so they let slip what they're gonna do next."

The German officer took a step towards the men gathered in the room, fascinated. He'd heard rumors of groups like this one but he'd never met anyone involved in such work. "And it doesn't bother you to turn against your adopted country?"

"Adopted!?" Casino snorted a laugh. "They don't want us immigrants over there for nothin' more than slave labor. The best you can hope for is to live out your life workin' like a dog while your family's stuck livin' in the slums with the rats! There's no way out, there's no 'adoption'." He jerked a thumb in the direction of his chest. "I'm third generation and my family still ain't made it out." The explosive expert shared a look with his teammates. They'd seen their share of propaganda the Krauts and the Italians fed their people, he could tell the guy at the door was lapping this one up. "Nah! It don't bother us a bit to go against 'em."

Neurath let his eyes travel over the men until they settled on the blonde hanging back between the beds. He didn't appear to fit this story that was being spun out. "And what do you have to say for yourself. Who are you?"

"Him?" Casino shifted over to stand between the Kraut and Goniff and tried to shield him as he wracked his brain to come up with some way to explain the little Limey. "He's…"

"Rodney Joseph Dillon, at yer service." Goniff reached a hand out and pushed Casino aside, stepping up to face the German lieutenant.

"Irish?"

"Right you are!" Goniff smiled and laid the accent on as thick as he dared. "An if ya know much 'bout our hist'ry you'll not have much trouble knowin' why I'd up 'n throw in with a mob like this."

Neurath had considered himself a student of politics before the war and he knew that the Irish, or at least some of the IRA, were sympathetic to the German cause, as long as it disrupted the English hold on Ireland and helped with their own reunification efforts. It was rumored that the Abwer recruited Irishmen, and it was common knowledge the IRA had made overtures to Hitler... Even though there was no strategic benefit to taking them up on their offer it was a political coup and had made all of the papers. Was it possible that there was the same thing going on in America, especially in the prisons and slums? "Are you also an unhappy American?"

"Me?! Bless yer heart no! I was invited ta leave Ireland by the British, wasn't I?" Goniff grinned and stuck his hands deep in his pockets. "I didn't see any reason t' be followin' all the rules over there in the colonies an they tossed me behind bars. Here was me lookin' at a deportation when this fella," the little pick pocket jerked his chin towards Garrison's bed. "shows up and convinces me there's a way ta strike a blow fer freedom by workin' fer him.…. So here am I to do all I can to further the cause, so ta speak."

"But your leader? He is German, no? Why do you follow him?"

Casino snorted a laugh but it was Chief who supplied their answer. "Why not? The Germans and the Italians, they'r partners ain't they?"

Neurath considered that as he continued to study the men one by one. Each of them had a slightly furtive air about him, just what he would expect out of a criminal… "Until I find out exactly who you are you will stay here with your friends. There will be a guard outside the door to see to it you do not leave. Do you understand me?" Neurath got their agreement to his terms in the form of wary nods before turning to leave the room. Once he gained the corridor he headed out of the building for the field commander's quarters. He knew how he would use these men if he were in command, but he was not. Their fate would be decided by another. He just hoped Captain Giordano had the imagination it would take to make the right decision.


	4. Chapter 4

ggg

"Jeeze! What was that?!" As soon as the door shut on the German officer Casino rounded on the group's second story man.

Goniff grinned. "And don't I have relations in Ireland? And didn't I spend a summer 'er two with em?" Well they weren't relations, strictly speaking, they were related to the fence he used when his old man got too sick to do the job… and he'd gone over there when he needed a place to hide out when he went on the run from the reformatory school they put him in after he got hisself picked up for pick pocketing that first time. He'd only been up there a few weeks before heading back.., but he liked this story about going to family for the summer better so he stuck to it. Goniff dropped the melodious delivery, the slightly breathy sound and drawn out r's. "It was the best I could come up with on short notice, mate." And it was a sight more fun than pulling off that tired old deaf-mute routine.

Chief moved across to the window in the door to the room and shot a look up and down the hall. The German lieutenant was no where to be seen but the armed guard was stationed next to the door, just like he promised. "Well that Kraut seemed to fall for it." He made his way back to stand with his teammates. "What's that stuff about the Irish anyway?" The only Irishmen he'd ever known where cops, fully committed to America and all of it's laws.

"Oh, Blimey! The Irish, some a the ones up in the north there, they hate the Brits with a passion. They even offered the ruddy Jerries a base up there so's it would be easier to hit England!" Goniff hooked his thumbs up in his armpits and enjoyed the position of professor. "They got themself's turned down a course. But if they'd been organized up there, if they had themselves any kind a army we'd a been in big trouble right now, I can tell ya."

"We _are_ in big trouble right now, '_**I **_can tell ya.'!" Casino stepped up in the space between the two beds and looked at first one then the other of their injured partners. "If these guys don't wake up pretty soon and get with the program we're in real _big_ trouble."

g

Half an hour later the east coast con was encouraged, a little. Actor had been awake long enough for them to feed him the cover stories they'd dreamed up one more time. If he remembered what they told him when he woke up again, swell. If he didn't they'd just have to blame it on his concussion and since Goniff had added a whole new character to the deal he was a little worried about that. The Warden was beginning to toss around again too. His breathing was faster and a little irregular as he started to come around and the pain got through to him. Casino didn't know if he should be glad Garrison was coming around, or worried over him being so uncomfortable. He'd just about come down on the side of being worried when the doctor showed up again.

"Hey!" he rounded on the man immediately. "You give him anything for pain?"

The doctor came up short. He wasn't used to be questioned. "Of course not! He must recover from the anesthesia first." Moving to the patient's bedside he busied himself getting a set of vitals on the injured man. "And then he must grow stronger before I risk giving him anything." Then a thought occurred to him. "He is not…" Not being able to find the word he wanted in English he dropped into German, "…allergisch?"

Casino puzzled over that a moment and thought he'd worked out what the doctor wanted to know but before he could answer Actor muscled into the act.

"Allergisch? Allergico?" All eyes were on him as he stammered his way to English. "Allergic? No. Oberleutnant Loder is not allergic to the medication…. It causes bad dreams and he suffers from confusion until its affects wear off. He is allergic to…" His voice faded away. He remembered taking care of some sort of reaction. But why? Why would he do it?

Casino stepped in to finish the con man's thought. "It's just some kind a glue," it was as close as he could come to the truth without having to do too much explaining. "He got it on his skin and he blistered up pretty bad."

Actor didn't have any staying power yet and had fallen back on the pillows after his outburst and had his eyes closed by the time the doctor reached his side. The doctor set to a quick exam and made a check of the man's blood pressure, pulse and pupillary responses before asking. "How are you feeling?"

"Stanco, e disorientato."

Casino grabbed the foot of the bed and gave it a quick shake. "Hey! Remember what I said?"

"Forgive me." Actor gave the doctor a half smile. "I am tired and a bit confused."

The doctor nodded as he took both of the con man's hands in his. "Squeeze. As hard as you can." an eyebrow arched as he logged the patient's response. He held his pen up and instructed. "You will follow this with your eyes, please." At the end of that little exercise he slid his hands into the pockets of his coat. "How did that make you feel?"

Actor thought a moment. "It made the dizziness worse."

"It is to be expected." The doctor smiled and nodded. "I believe you were very lucky my friend. We will continue to watch you and to do simple tests to make sure there is no bleeding inside your skull… But I feel you have only a mild concussion. Your symptoms should resolve in a few weeks."

"A few weeks?" Casino asked. "Isn't there anything you can give him to make 'em go away faster than that? Jeeze! He only knows his own name every other time you ask him!"

He looked over at the man that had, so far, done most of the talking for this group. He was like all the rest, he wanted miracles. "I am afraid the answer is no. There is some swelling inside his skull because of the injury and this causes problems with memory and balance. There are medications that are sometimes used for this but even if I had such things I would not use them. They carry too great a risk and as I tell you, the symptoms will resolve on their own given enough time."

Casino nodded. There wasn't anything for it, it seemed. They'd just have to wait it out and hope for the best. He turned his attention back to Garrison who was dead to the world on his bed again. "What about him?"

"He should recover also. Again it will take time for him to regain his strength and build back his store of blood…"

"Blood?!" The east coast thief moved up from his spot at the foot of Actor's bed to confront the doctor and there was more than just a little irritation in his voice. "Hey! You took us for enough a the stuff. How come he's not gettin' any of it?"

The doctor sighed, irritation rising in his own tone. "Because he is not actively bleeding, others are. He will recover without it, others will not." And as soon as they'd gotten their hands on the amount these men had contributed it had been spirited north with most of the rest of his supplies. He turned his back on the group's spokesman and addressed his next question to his dark-haired patient. "Is there anything else I must know about your friend?"

Actor's brows arched up in surprise at the question, then lowered into a frown as he tried to pin down the information he suspected he had. The answers eluded him even though he knew from what the others said that he must have them. It was frustrating and the frustration showed on his face. That concerned his teammates more than his loss of memory… They'd never been able to read the con man so easily before.

The doctor finally laid a reassuring hand on his patient's shoulder. "Do not concern yourself. It is a common thing, this trouble with your memory." He gave a parting squeeze as he turned to go. "And you do better than I expected."

Casino checked the hall through the window on the door for himself and as soon as the doctor was gone he turned back and went to Garrison's bed. Reaching out he shook their commander by the shoulder but got absolutely no response. "Jeeze! I wish he'd wake up!"

"But maybe part of him is awake," Chief glanced back at the Warden. He'd been keeping an eye on Garrison since the German lieutenant had been in and asked all of his questions. '…sort of."

Casino looked back down at Garrison. He was layin' perfectly still again and was absolutely limp. There wasn't any sign on his face that he was awake, or anywhere near it. He was completely blank. "What 'r you, nuts or somethin?!"

"Haven't you ever watched him, Pappy? The way he wakes up? It's like he goes limp and just listens for a while before he opens his eyes… just to make sure everything's ok."

Casino cocked an eyebrow at the Indian. He got some pretty weird ideas sometimes and most of 'em were hard to believe. He hoped he was right about this one though and turned to give it a try.

"Warden? If you'r in there, babe, you gotta listen up…."

ggg

They'd gone another hour with both Actor and Garrison dead to the world. Even though he figured it was crazy they kept talking to them, feeding the story to them over and over whenever either of them moved more than an eyelash. The pressure was beginning to get to Casino. All he wanted was for one of them, either one of them, to wake up and take over. He didn't think he'd ever complain to the Warden again about how he ran things! He stopped his pacing and addressed his two teammates. "Look! We're gonna have to come up with some way a gettin' outta here without dependin' on these guys."

"We could pinch an ambulance." Goniff offered from his spot next to Actor.

"Yeah. And then what?" Chief had a cloth he was using to mop the sweat off the Warden's face, he didn't even look up from what he was doing. "We still got those guards to get past…" he reminded them calmly. "Even if we manage that, there's not enough of us. We'd have to take these guys out one at a time. Two to haul 'em out, one to make sure the way's clear. Who'r you gonna leave in the room here alone? Or out in the ambulance? It's too big a chance to take. And what about the American lines, if we manage all a that and get there?" He finally looked up as he indicated their leader with a wave of his hand. "Warden's got the passwords, not us."

Casino's fear and frustration boiled over and he bristled. "Well you come up with something then! Don't just shoot down ideas if you can't come up with one a your own!"

Chief just looked at the aggravated explosives expert and shook his head. That was Casino's specialty, shootin' down ideas, blowin' holes in the plans the Warden and Actor came up with… Looked like he couldn't handle the same kind a thing. But he was in a bad spot and just as the young man opened his mouth to tell him so, to apologize, the Lieutenant shifted and groaned under his hand drawing all his attention back on him. "Casino, get over here!"

The safe cracker was across the room in two strides and the little pick pocket was up peering over his shoulder. They looked anxiously down at their commander who finally had his eyes open and was shifting his bleary gaze to each one of them in turn.

"Jeeze! Welcome back Warden! How'r you feelin' babe?"

Garrison frowned and they had to lean in to hear him. "Schmerzen."

"What'd he say?"

"How should I know!"

Garrison closed his eye and licked his dry lips and tried another tack. "Wasser?"

"Water! He wants water." Casino turned and snatched the pitcher up off the table that sat between the beds and spilled water into the glass that sat next to it. Goniff was already working the crank on the end of the bed when he turned back, raising the Warden's head up to make it easier. "Hey! Back off will ya. You got him too high, all the blood's drained outta his head!"

"Blimey!" The little pick pocket's head popped up and he glanced at Garrison and immediately went into reverse. As he lowered the head of the bed the Warden's eyes rolled back down where they belonged and he got a little bit of faint color back.

Chief slipped his arm under their injured commander's shoulders and carefully, slowly, lifted him up so Casino could feed him the water. The Lieutenant took a swallow, choked on it, but he went back for more and kept at it. When the cup was empty they laid him back against the pillows. "Take it easy, man. Just rest a minute." And they waited.

Garrison closed his eyes again and lay there while he waited for the pounding in his ears to recede and the room to stop spinning. "What happened?"

'We got hit on the road. You and Actor got hurt…. You remember?" Casino watched as that bit of information sank in.

The Warden nodded then made an attempt at sitting up that was easily blocked by his scout. "Actor?"

"He's here. He's right here." Chief shoved the safe cracker out of the way and indicated the other bed with a wave of his hand. "Right over there. Can you see him?"

Garrison fell back against the bed and took a deep breath. At least they were all together. That was good. "Where are we?"

Casino fixed Chief with one of his 'I knew you were nuts' looks. "A hospital in San Gorgonio. It's 'bout half way between the front lines and the place we hit." He'd told him the whole story when that idiot of an Indian convinced him that even though there wasn't any sign of it the Warden was really awake takin' everything in as he lay motionless on the bed.

Garrison just nodded his acceptance of the fact and waited.

Just great!, he thought as he looked at the expectant expression on Garrison's face. It looked like they'd have to go over it all again. Casino took a deep breath but before he could get started the door to the room was thrown back and four men entered. Lieutenant Neurath was in the lead but he peeled off to position his two armed goons at either side of the door and let the Italian yahoo he was with stalk across to stand at the foot of Garrison's bed.

"Hey! Wait a minute…" The safe cracker protested but he was cut short.

"Silence!"

And there were rifles to back the man up.

Neurath waved them away into the corner of the room and stepped up to stand next to Garrison's bed. He glanced up at the Italian captain, waiting for his signal and when the man gave a little nod he started in with his questions.

"Woher kommen Sie?" he asked politely

"Sarrebach."

"Und was ist Ihr Namen und Rang?"

The men huddled in the corner, all of them knew those words and they held their breath. If the Warden didn't get this one right they were done for.

Garrison frowned across at the men standing in the corner then focused on Leutnant Neurath "Franz Christian Loder, Oberleutnant."

The three cons collectively took a deep breath and let it out. It looked like some of the information had penetrated after all. All they had to do now was keep their fingers crossed that Garrison had picked up enough to convince this guy that they were who they said they were.

They heard the names they'd decided to use and the one Actor had given being thrown around but they didn't understand most of the conversation. It seemed to be going their way though, the guards were still just standing at the door. They shifted their attention back and forth as the questions were asked and answered. Each time Garrison answered Leutnant Neurath took a minute and translated for the Italian commander who waited impatiently at the side of the bed. After a little flurry of conversation the Warden seemed to refuse to answer and after a moments stubborn staring match with the Italian captain the man gave an exasperated wave of his hand and the three cons were hustled out into the hall by the armed guards.

g

Actor was still asleep in the bed next to the wall but he'd insisted on the others being herded out of the room. Garrison could see them milling around just outside through the window cut in the door. He thought he'd be able to sell the next bit easier if they weren't around, and he could always fill them in later.

Craig watched the two men standing next to his bed. It must be a combined command, he thought, or they've taken a pounding that blew their command structure to hell. The Germans and Italians didn't usually maintain joint commands, they didn't work well enough together for that.

Neurath was being slightly deferential to him as befit his marginally higher rank. "Es gibt keine Akte auf dieser Gruppe. Warum ist dieser?

He remembered being fed the information, but he thought it was some kind of a dream…until Casino told him the name of the town they were in, and then his two interrogators accepted his name and rank without batting an eye. Casino had given this man the names they were using and he'd obviously tried to check his story but he'd come up empty. It was his job to feed these two just enough information to convince them there was a good reason for that. He took a deep breath and hoped he wouldn't blow his lines. "Sie sind Verbrecher. Die Kommandanten möchten nicht sie bestätigen. Sie möchten nur Gutschrift für die Resultate nehmen."

Neurath nodded, it matched the tale the other man had told him. It must be true, they were a group of criminals recruited from America… This one was just coming around when they arrived. The guard he had posted in the hall had strict orders to call in as soon as he saw any sign that this man the others claimed as their leader was returning to consciousness. He had followed his orders and luckily he was with Capitano Giordano when the report came in. Unexpectedly the captain had acted without argument and accepted his recommendation that they come to the hospital immediately. In his opinion there would have been no time for the group to concoct a hoax. "Und mein Freund gibt es keine Akte auf Ihnen?"

"Sie versprachen, die Akte zu begraben, wenn ich diese Anweisung annahm." Garrison held his breath and prayed the man bought what he was selling.

At an irritated sigh Neurath turned and relayed the information he was gathering to an increasingly short tempered Italian captain.

The captain slapped the gloves he was carrying in the palm of his hand. He had other duties to attend to and this was taking too long. He stepped forward and started his own questioning. "So you do not have a very proud history then?"

"I am like them, a criminal…" Craig responded quietly. "But I was born in Germany. And my family is more important."

"Tell me again what your group does _Leutnant_ Loder."

Garrison stiffened at the intended insult. "Sir, we are assigned to infiltrate the American lines and obtain information German intelligence requires."

"How do you do this?" Captain Giordano paced back and forth at the foot of the man's bed and considered the implications of this tale.

"By passing as Americans. By observing preparations in their rear areas. By obtaining photographs of their plans…."

It was the same story Neurath carried to him after talking to the men who were now huddled in the hallway outside. "Leutnant, your men have no idea who is truly in command of this group?" It was the reason Loder had insisted his men be removed from the room before he would continue answering their questions. He claimed his men did not speak German but they would have been able to understand Neurath as he translated for Giordano.

"No sir, that information has never been given to them."

"And why is that?"

Craig waited a moment before he answered, seemingly debating the wisdom of revealing the finer details. "To eliminate the possibility of the enemy getting that information from them in the event they were captured."

"But what of you, my friend?" Giordano came to a halt and turned a considering eye on the man he was questioning. "Could they not get the information from you?"

It was getting hard to concentrate and his head was spinning, Garrison leveled what he hoped was a steely gaze at the Italian. "I have proven my ability to withstand such questioning Herr Hauptmann." He could play the insult game too, and was pleased to see he'd scored a point when the Italian glared at him after he'd addressed him with his rank in German.

Neurath considered the man in front of him. He'd heard about secret commando units working behind enemy lines and he'd heard rumors of the realistic training they endured but he felt there was something more. "Sir, what is your correct rank?"

"Obersturmführer."

"Danke, mein Herr!" With that he forgot the military courtesy he owed his current commander and hustled the captain from the room waving the group standing in the hall back inside. As soon as the door closed on them he turned to the officer who was already starting to berate him.

"How dare you lay your hands on me! I will see you broken for this…."

"Forgive me Capitano Giordano, these men cannot be questioned."

"Why is that?!"

"Because they are Abwehr! That is why there is no record for us to find!" He turned back and peered through the window in the door at the group gathered around the man he'd been questioning and felt a shiver run through him. Even the SS didn't question them, you didn't speak to them… you didn't even look at them if it could be avoided. Loder was still staring at them through the window as Neurath felt the first trickle of sweat run down his back.

g

Casino swiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve as he watched the two officers disappear down the hallway trailed by the armed goons that had been in the room. The original guard maintained his position outside the door to the room. "Whatever you were sellin', it looks like they bought it." He sighed with relief and came back to stand next to Garrison's bed grateful to finally be waiting for orders. His relief didn't last long. The first words out of the Warden's mouth set him on edge again.

"What names did you give that guy again?" Garrison sank back and closed his eyes. A burst of adrenalin carried him through the questioning but as it evaporated so did his energy. Within moments he was asleep again.


	5. Chapter 5

ggg

Having to deal with the base commander set all their nerves on edge. The only one who wasn't affected was Actor, he'd slept through it all. By the time the doctor swept into the room an hour later fuming about the idiocy of the military mind the con man was awake again though, and agitating for a change of scenery. Casino quickly fell in line with his demands, they could do with a little information about what was going on outside the hospital. After a quick exam the doctor gave his permission, declaring that the fresh air would probably do him good. A wheelchair was appropriated and Chief and Goniff were assigned the task of taking the big man on a short tour. The guard at the door wasn't willing to go along with the plan until the doctor pulled himself up to his full height and reminded the corporal just who he was dealing with. He sent him along with the three tourists and told him to find another man to help him if it would set his mind at ease and turned back to his remaining patient.

The young man had used up his reserve of strength in his incounter with the area's commander and was sleeping, he was also a little flushed with fever. Turning back the blankets the doctor checked the dressing over the wound and sighed in irritation when he saw it was stained with blood. Stepping to the door to call for assistance he found none and ended up stalking off down the hall. When he returned he carried a supply of gauze and tape and set to replacing the dressing.

Casino watched the doctor uncover and clean the wound in the Warden's side. To his inexperienced eye it looked raw and inflamed. It seemed it was just cobbled together with a few hasty stitches too, not neatly repaired. Some 'very good surgeon', he thought as he remembered the doctor's claim from their first encounter.

Casino waited until the short exam was finished. "What about penicillin? He gettin' any a that?" He'd noticed the Warden's high color too.

"He was given a dose before and after his surgery." The doctor told him with a resigned sigh. "It will have to be enough."

And then it finally clicked. The doctor wasn't holdin' back given out the stuff. He didn't' have it to give. Something else clicked too… A way they might be able to get out of this mess. Casino took a chance. "Must be pretty tough tryin' to take care a these guys when they won't give you any supplies."

"You have no idea…."

Bingo!

"….Not only do they refuse to ship supplies to us here, they have stripped the base of men and vehicles." If he had a difficult case he wouldn't be able to get the patient to more advanced help in time, let alone evacuate the hospital of even the few patients he had in the event of an emergency. "The men they have left us are taken from their duties here and assigned to march back and forth between buildings ! It is ludicrous!"

"If you could get a supply truck through here what kinda stuff would need to be on it to get you set up again?" He couldn't seem too eager, he had to play it cool…

"I don't understand you."

Casino shrugged. "What's the basic stuff you need to operate this place?"

"Blood. Plasma. Saline. Sulfa. Penicillin. Morphine. Sutures. Dressings." The doctor ticked the list off on his fingers. "The list would be long,, it has been some time since we were re supplied."

He crossed his arms and slouched against the wall next to the Warden's bed. "What would you say if I told you I could get some a that stuff?"

The safe cracker wasn't used to playing this game but the look in the doctor's eyes when the turned around to face him told him he'd put just the right spin on it.

g

"You want to go over that last part again? What did you tell him?" Garrison was propped up in the bed and Casino was feeding him water again. The doctor told him they didn't have the replacement blood the Warden needed, or even a bottle of saline to use on him. He could have as much water as he wanted, it was the only thing they had an unlimited supply of.

"I told him maybe I could get some of the stuff he needs from our side, from the Americans." He had to sell this one just right too.

Garrison frowned. "Did he buy it?"

"Seemed to." The Warden was still a quart low on blood and now he had a slight fever that muddled up his thinking, so it took a little longer for the idea to take root than it usually did.

"Would he help you get out of town?"

"He's thinkin' the whole deal over right now. I figure I can go either way. If it's with his help, I'm a hero. If I go without," he tried to shrug away the knot that had formed in his stomach. "I'm just showin' my loyalty to you."

Garrison turned his head away refusing the rest of the water Casino held in the cup. He lay quietly with his eyes closed for a moment before he frowned and opened them again, locking on to his safe cracker's face. "It might just work. But you're all going."

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Casino set the glass aside, rested his elbow on the frame at the head of the bed and leaned over Garrison. "That's not the way I got it planned."

"I know but it's the way you're going to do it!" He could see it in his explosive expert face and understood. He was willing to take the chance himself, but he didn't want to risk Chief and Goniff's lives on his idea. "You haven't thought this all the way out. If the group was going to pull a stunt like this off, one man wouldn't do it alone. So it'll play better to have all of you go."

Casino could see the wheels turning and he knew what was probably coming next. He wasn't looking forward to pitching his idea to Chief and Goniff. He knew what they'd say about him going alone and he didn't really want to hear it. But he knew what they'd say to the Warden makin' a little change of plans too, so he didn't have any trouble answering for them. "No way we're leavin you here to face the music alone."

"You can take off after the doctor buys the idea that you'll be bringing supplies back. Double back here and take Actor out with you, he's in good enough shape. All I have to do is sell the idea you've deserted." He was chewing the inside of his cheek, talking more to himself than Casino, working out how he'd do it. "That I've been worried about something like that for a long time and now with me wounded and being so close to the lines, you've taken the chance and taken off."

"Nice little plan Warden but we're not doin' it that way." And he had the perfect piece of blackmail to use too. "We either do it my way and you get that stuff we come for over out to the Allies, or we don't do anything," he said as he patted his pocket. "and it stays right here with me."

He knew a brick wall when one was standing right in front of him. Craig laid back and closed his eyes to buy a little time. He wasn't quite ready to admit defeat. There had to be some way to convince Casino, and he'd have to convince him because he was in no shape to enforce his own ideas...but before he could come up with it the door to the room swung open and Capitano Giordano stalked back through closely followed by the doctor who was complaining bitterly about the continued disruption of his patient's rest.

"Oberleutnant Loder I understand your men have offered to go on a mission of mercy for the good doctor, here." He didn't wait long enough for a response. "I also have things I need. They may go, but they will do this mission for me!"

g

"….and now we don't have any control over it!"

"What's up?" Actor had gotten pretty well bed burned and the doctor cleared him for a little ride around the grounds. Chief and Goniff had been acting as chauffer and guide while they rolled him along the streets surrounding the hospital. It also gave them a chance to do a little reconnaissance. They'd returned from their outing and just managed to pull out of the way as Giordano stalked out of the room. They were just in time to catch the tail end of the argument between the Warden and Casino as they pushed through the door.

"Casino," Garrison jabbed his finger in the safe cracker's direction, "got the doctor alone and offered to make a solo trip across the lines to pick up medical supplies!"

"Blimey! Nothin' doin!" Goniff shifted his gaze from one to the other. It didn't take a genius to realize the hospital was short on supplies. He'd seen one of the orderlies open up the storeroom when they'd been shuttled out for that Giordano bloke's little visit with the Warden. The shelves were nearly bare and there was a lock on the door, protecting the little they did have. "If a couple of us go we can nick more stuff.."

Casino hadn't taken his eyes off Garrison. He knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to get the other two on his side. "I'm not buyin', so you can just forget it Warden."

"Look!" Garrison leaned forward on his elbow ignoring the pain in his side. "Our mission is to get that information back to the American lines. This gives us the best chance to do that. We can't pass it up!"

Chief studied their commander. "You'r saying _us_ and _we_ like you'r comin' too." He turned on his east coast teammate. "So what's the problem?"

"Yeah! Well, the _problem_ is the Warden here's changed my plan. He figures we'll all go." He waved his hand around the group gathered by the bed, conspicuously leaving Garrison out. "And he'll stay behind and feed the Krauts some song and dance about us deserting back to the Allies."

"No way man!" Chief aligned himself with Casino and turned on his commander. "Nobody's stayin behind!"

Three sets of eyes settled on him. "I'm not in good enough shape to make it out with you right now. I'd just slow you down." The three men exchanged skeptical looks. "I can follow you in a couple of days."

"If you haven't been shot as a spy, or evacuated deeper into enemy territory." It was the first time they'd heard from their second in command on this little subject. He still wasn't part of the group around the Warden's bed, sitting in the wheelchair where Goniff had left him he continued to gaze out the window. "Besides something is going on out there that might be important."

"What?" Garrison's attention was instantly riveted on the confidence man. "What did you see, Actor?"

"There seemed to be… They…." Actor brought his hand up and rubbed at his forehead in frustration. He was dizzy again and the dizziness seemed to steal coherent thought from him. "I'm sorry, I can't…."

"Goniff." Garrison watched as the little man rolled Actor back over to his bed and helped him into it.

"It's alright, mate." He assured him as he helped the big man into his bed, plumped at the pillows and then fussed over the covers. "You just need to rest there a bit and it'll come back to you."

Garrison turned on his scout. "Chief what did you see? What was going on out there?" The young man's observational skills were excellent but he might not realize the significance of what he'd seen or draw the same conclusions about it as the con man had.

"There's a park a couple blocks over and we just pulled up in there and sat in the shade for awhile." He puzzled over what he'd seen as he pushed the con man's wheelchair along. "They do a lot a drillin' around here. The same squad a guys must a marched by us four times"

"They were parading in the park?" Garrison wondered out loud.

The young man corrected him. "No, in the street that runs alongside."

"That's all?" He didn't see how that could've caught Actor's interest and he was just about to discount it as a result of his confusion when an idea struck. "Were they parading up and down the street, or just one way?"

"Just one way." Chief didn't see how that helped but there was no mistaking the light that flashed in the Warden's eye.

"Which way?"

"From where they park the vehicles up to some buildings they're probably usin' for barracks."

"You're sure? They only went one way? Did you see how they got back down where the trucks were parked?"

Chief shook his head. "Didn't know it was important."

"It might not be, but I think I want to know anyway."

g

He wasn't dressed in a full uniform, just the clean pants and T-shirt Kurt had scrounged and he didn't speak enough Italian or German to get out of trouble if he was spotted so after slipping out their window Chief had to carefully make his way back to the park keeping to the alley's that ran behind the buildings and the deep shade of the trees. Once there he made his way through to the far side where he could melt into the forest that surrounded the town. He stood still a moment, listening. The sound of engines spinning to life and an undercurrent of male voices drew his attention and he followed the sound to see what was up….

"It doesn't make any sense." Casino scoffed, but he had a sinking feeling that it did.

"Yes it does, man. He's tryin' to sucker our side into believin' he's got more guys here than he really does." Chief had watched the trucks move out, roll down the street, then make their way back through the trees on a narrow track to pull into the truck park again. Each truck pulled up and made the same run, ending up in the shade of overhanging trees. The marching men were doing the same thing. They'd be in the trees in time to load onto the truck as it pulled up and then they'd wait the few minutes it took for their truck to reach the head of the line before they clambered down, formed up and took off up the street for the barracks. The barracks backed up on the forest, it was easy enough for them to slip out and make their way back through the trees to where the trucks sat waiting. "There's only four trucks down there, man. But seein' it from a distance you'd never know it wasn't a whole line of 'em."

"Blimey that's pretty clever."

"No it's not. Not if he can pull it off! Our side is never going to leave a large force unchallenged here. They're going to hit him with everything they've got." Garrison chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought a bit longer. "They could even decide to split their forces to take care of him. When the second group engages they'll be facing overwhelming numbers…" Maybe he wasn't giving Giordano enough credit. "If our guys can't hold out then the whole thing sweeps back in this direction with the men committed to this battle getting caught in a crossfire." He turned a determined stare on the three cons gathered by his bed. There was no room for argument now and they all knew it. "If you don't get through and let our side know what's going on this could end up a blood bath."

His mind was racing now, working out the angles and the others kept silent letting him piece it all together. "Alright, this is what you've got to do."

ggg

They'd worked a compromise. Casino would take Chief and Goniff with him, but Actor would be staying behind with Garrison . The con man won that point for them when he told the Warden in no uncertain terms that he was much too dizzy to go on the run. He might be confused, the east coast con thought, but he was still pretty good at reading the Lieutenant's mind. Now they'd be coming back to pick the other two up… If they didn't get shot as spies by their own side.

As usual Chief took the point as they made their way through the brush. They weren't even trying to be quiet. They wanted to be found, and they didn't want to waste any time about it. He was out front so his sensitive hearing could pick up the sound of Allied troops in time to give them a chance to get set. They were done up in the blood stained American uniforms they'd come to town in. It didn't take much for Casino to convince the Italian captain that the soiled garments would make it that much easier for him to sell the Americans the story that they'd been caught in a battle on one of those exploratory advances and separated from their unit.

Casino hoped the GI's would buy it too, at least long enough for him to tell them the real facts a the matter and deliver the Warden's secret code. He tried to tune Goniff's nervous chatter out as they walked along but he wasn't having any luck. He'd just about decided to tell the little guy to clam up when it dawned on him. The Limey's accent would be one more little piece of business to help them convince the Americans they were really were who they said they were. He let him chatter on, it might just keep them from getting shot on sight.

Chief brought the group to a halt with a raised hand. There was something, or someone, moving through the brush to the right, just a head of them.

"Halt! Stand right where you are!"

"Don't worry, Dad." The young scout stood stock still. "We ain't goin' nowhere."

"Who are you guys? What's your unit?" The soldier motioned with his rifle and three sets of hands went up in the air.

"We're with a special unit. Lieutenant Garrison said to tell you 'the forest has many eyes'." Casino called out. It didn't mean a damn thing to him but he hoped it meant something to the heavily armed GI's facing him. "He said to give you his serial number too, and that you'd check it with G2." And he'd made a strong point about not letting them know anything about the film he had stashed on him,,, not until he got to talk to the head man.

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Please read and review.... I know I like the stories I post here but it's always nice to hear what others think. ;-)


	6. Chapter 6

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"You expect me to believe that?!"

"Jeeze! Come on, story's to goofy to be a con!" Casino ran his hand through his hair once more. They were sitting in a small tent at the back edge of the encampment and he'd been talking to this 'interrogation' officer for over an hour now. Chief and Goniff were off coolin' their heels somewhere, under guard he figured. Probably someplace where they couldn't talk to each other, couldn't work out the details of any kind of trick. "You get any kind a answer back from Intelligence yet?"

The guy waffled but Casino'd played poker for a long time and he was good at it, it didn't take much to read the man as he studied the papers on the table in front of him. They hadn't heard back from anybody yet, that's why they were still stalled here talking. He knew he'd already passed all of the 'where do you come from, what's the windy city, who won the series in '38' crap that they trotted out at times like this.

He put his elbows on the table and leaned in so he was closer to the man. "You gotta get them to put another call through. We left two wounded guys behind. If we don't get back there…." Sitting back in his chair again he vented a little of his pent up worry. "Damn it! This is nuts! If we don't hold up our end a this deal they'll probably get themselves shot!"

The flap of the tent was pulled aside and an officer strolled in causing the man on the other side of the table to push to his feet as he came to attention. "As you were Sergeant." He reached out and took the NCO's notes and scanned them. "Have you come up with anything new?"

"No sir! He's telling the same story the others did…" The young man glanced down at his subject. "His language is a little more colorful, that's all."

"That'll be all Sarge." The officer waited for the sergeant to collect his things and leave the tent before he took his place at the table. "Your story checks out. We just got confirmation of Garrison's serial number back, along with descriptions of all of you and an outline of what you were supposed to be doing over there."

Casino took a deep breath and let it out as he watched the officer get more comfortable in his chair.

"Now, I suggest you turn the information you're carrying over to me so we can send it on to Colonel Reynolds for you." He held out his hand and waited.

Casino stood up and tugged at the band of his trousers, it pulled away where they'd used Chief's knife to cut the stitching and the small cassette of film dropped into his hand. Tossing it into the Major's outstretched palm he sprawled back on the stool with a relieved sigh. "I hope you don't have to check that stuff out before we get to start back."

"No. You're cleared to go back as soon as you have the supplies you requested. Can't give you everything on the list I'm afraid. The field hospital's still another five miles behind us."

The burly thief nodded, then a thought occurred to him. "Can we split the stuff up? We never saw none a the blood they took us for and I wanna make sure some of the stuff gets to the right patient."

The Major gave a quick nod then motioned to the guard who'd been standing just inside the door. As soon as the man took off he turned his attention back on the 'specialist.' "We might as well get your group together so I only have to hear the story once."

g

"Your lieutenant was right. We've had intelligence reports about a build up in the area around San Gorgonio and they just sent out a new plan of battle splitting the forces to deal with it." Major Lindy shook his head as he considered what that would have cost them. "Half our forces would have been walking right into a trap…. And the other half would have taken it in the shorts when the battle turned against the first wave and they retreated back to their original position."

"Bloody Hell!" Goniff sat gnawing on his fingers. The group had brought a lot of information back in the time they'd worked together, but this was the first time they'd gotten to hand it over to someone who'd be directly affected by it. They really were saving lives, just the way the Warden said they were!

His original idea had just been to get to the Americans and talk them out of a squad and go back and break the group out. Garrison was a little more subtle thought, he knew tactics and put a different spin on it. "So what do I have to tell that Italian captain to convince him to pull out?" Casino asked. That was what the Warden's version of the plan hinged on, that they could come back with a story good enough to get Giordano to pull his small group of soldiers out of harms way.

Lindy smiled and rocked back on his camp stool. "Well while we've been sitting around here shooting the breeze my guys have made up some documents that ought to curl the captain's hair for him." He snapped his fingers and the guard on the opening took off across the small clearing where they'd set up their camp. "You guy's quick studys? You think you'll be able to remember it all?"

"We don't have to remember the technical stuff." Casino snorted. They'd already established that with the other side, that they were just crooks the Warden used to get the stuff they were ordered to get. "Just tell us how many men it'll take to scare the pants off that guy."

From the information he'd just gotten Intelligence had it all wrong. These men reported seeing less than two hundred individuals in San Gorgonio, no more than a dozen trucks and nost, if not all, of the gun emplacements around the town were shams, rigged up from painted logs and boxes. He'd bet his last dollar the troops that were left there didn't have the supplies to put up much of a fight. "Tell him you saw around twelve hundred men and enough material to supply them for a good couple of weeks."

"Twelve hundred? How many's that?" The youngest member of the team asked.

"That's the equivalent of two divisions. If that doesn't convince him to pull up stakes, nothing will." He looked around at the group gathered at the table smoking and drinking coffee. "What if he doesn't fall for it, will you still be able to get out?"

"Oh sure. No problem, mate." Goniff rolled his eyes. "We do it all the time."

Garrison told them to stay put in the American camp overnight, that it would play better that way, but all of them were too nervous to follow his instructions, though they did wait until well after dark before they made their move. They shoved the fake documents into their pockets and loaded the packs on their backs and took off…, with an escort to see them to the lines this time. Casino and Chief shouldered the heavier packs, the ones filled with saline and plasma, Goniff took the one with the drugs, sutures and dressings. Lindy told them he couldn't give them as much as the doctor had on his list. He was already going to have trouble selling this to the command officers in the rear he said, but he was willing to trade a charge of 'comfort to the enemy' for the information that would save him from sending his troops in to be slaughtered.

g

The Krauts were on the watch for them and they'd been given a code to get them through the lines on this side of the conflict, some German phrase none of them understood. Even though the line was delivered and understood the soldiers still kept them standing with their hands over their heads after they'd given the password. None of them groused about it, not even Casino, it just wasn't safe. After about five minutes the radio one of the soldiers was packing on his back squawked to life and the young man in charge of them jerked the muzzle of his rifle down, letting them drop their hands. They didn't get their guns back, and they had to walk with a rifle barrel poking them in the back but at least they were heading back to San Gorgonio.

The squad was still about a half mile out of town when Neurath showed up with a car to take them in charge.

"You were successful?"

"We got some a the stuff the doctor put in for but there were too many guards around to get anything Giordano wanted…." Casino let the German lieutenant chew on that for a minute before he let him have the good news. "We managed to get some paperwork he's gonna be pretty interested in though."

Neurath didn't take them straight back to the hospital. Even though it was after midnight he took them in to the building they were using as a command center and Captain Giordano was there waiting. After they'd been stripped of the supplies and documents they'd brought back across the line the three men were split up again while the two officers questioned them.

g

Giordano waited for the door to close on the unusual unit of men. He studied the papers they'd brought to him and re read the notes he'd taken as he questioned each of them. Their stories were consistent. None of them knew the standard unit designations but all of them had said they'd seen at least a thousand of the enemy, probably more. And they had supplies… Enough to keep them for several days it seemed. He knew what his orders were, but he also knew those orders came from men who were safe well behind the lines of battle. Two divisions of trained soldiers with all the supplies they needed, artillery, and probably air support?… His group of poorly provisioned, raw recruits would never be able to hold them.

Capitano Giordano had been left in charge of the town by accident….literally. The commanding officer was a German. Even in his own country the Nazis' seemed to control everything! He had been assigned to help the man, to work as a liaison with the local population that wasn't too pleased to have a German army encamped in their small town. Trouble plagued them, even though he did his best to smooth it over. The German tendency towards superiority and arrogance did little to endear them to a population suspicious even of their own government and military. Little by little the village became a ghost town as the people slipped off into the hills, or made their way north or south depending on their political leanings.

Giordano believed in his cause but was inclined to let those that would go leave, as long as they took nothing with them and there was no evidence of sabotage, no sign of collusion with the underground. These were poor, rural people as a rule and he saw no benefit in holding them against their will, allowing their unrest and fear to foment into a force actively working against the military objective in the area. His German commander hadn't been disposed to be as understanding. To counter the man's stubborn insistence that the whole population of the area must be in lock step with the current ruling power had tested his creativity and nerve.

He worked behind the scenes to see to it those that had taken no active part against the military rulers had a decent chance. He started by offering to take some of the more mundane responsibilities from the 'overworked' commander. It hadn't taken long to convince the man that over seeing the sentry's assignments and then managing the security patrols around the town were well within his capabilities and would give him something to occupy his time as the population dwindled. He was a native of the region and knew the most likely routes the refugees would take. It wasn't difficult to have those sectors patrolled by the few remaining Italians, or by the less experienced German squads.

Supplies came next on his list of 'volunteer' assignments, starting with provisions for the company's mess. The German Army had a tendency to 'requisition' most of the food supply in an area where they were assigned, leaving little for the local population. In his position as liaison he was able to convince the German commander this would do little to earn the people's cooperation and trust. Few in the village knew it but they had him to thank for their full bellies as he first deflected the German appropriation of their goods, then later as fields and roads were destroyed and supplies grew scarce and he claimed the duty of quartermaster, he directed as much as he could to the more benign members of the black-market for the use of the few who remained in the town and surrounding area.

Soon after the bombing raid that eliminated the German overseer and left Giordano in charge, command started siphoning troops out of the area starting with the more experienced German squads. They were sent north along with most of the Italian soldiers and almost all of their supplies as the strategists pulled back, concentrating their men and material in more defensible positions...

Leutnant Neurath watched his Italian superior, he had discovered that Giordano was no coward in the few weeks they had worked together. Even though he had originally been just a liaison the Italian commander understood tactics and when the order came he had been willing to slow the American's down here, have them split their numbers so that the greater forces waiting for them in the north would have an easy victory and be able to rout the enemy and come back to relieve their position. Together they had worked out a plan they hoped would work. They pulled every available man and had them form up in the forest next to the staging ground at the edge of town. The men repeatedly marched from the trucks to the large empty building at the head of the street near the park in an effort to fool Allied spotter planes into thinking they had a large contingent of soldiers garrisoned here. They had another group driving trucks filled with empty boxes and crates to a set of warehouses nearby where they could be observed 'stockpiling' supplies. Neurath himself had overseen construction of a network of trenches and mock gun emplacements. He had three men working round the clock hanging uniform tunics and helmets on different stakes to make it appear from the air that a sizable force was entrenched around the town.

Giordano continued to study the papers. If the intelligence reports had been correct they might have had a chance… but it was apparent now that the enemy could easily outnumber his small force without ever compromising their main battle arm. They would achieve no tactiacal advantage. This was suicide.

"Leutnant Neurath alert the squad leaders to prepare to fall back."

"Sir?"

"We will join with the larger group north of us where we will at least have a chance of survival." He folded the documents and slid them into the inside pocket of his uniform. "See to it the men are ready Leutnant, we will leave at first light."

He watched his German aide-de-camp leave to carry out his orders and he finished his glass of wine before he rose himself. He had one more officer he wanted to inform personally.

g

"But you are insane! I can't get all of my patients out of here in the vehicles we have left."

"Not all of them need to be on stretchers, surely. Those that are able will ride beside the drivers or on the benches in the soldiers transports." Besides he had a job for two of them that would leave them off the trucks entirely. "I wish to see Oberleutnant Loder and his men."

'In the middle of the night?!"

"Doctor. I know very well where they are and you can do little to stop me. I ask only as a courtesy to you." The Italian captain waited for a moment to see if the doctor would give him the permission he didn't really need.

"Very well Captain Giordano but at the first sign of any distress, from either of those men, and I will throw you out myself."

g

The lights in the room were dim. The older man was asleep in the bed next to the window. The German leader of the unit drowsing under the watchful eye of the men that made up his team. Giordano studied the bottle that hung next to the bed. As he thought, they'd smuggled their own supplies past him… He was glad. It would make it easier for them to carry out the assignment he had in mind. He stepped closer to the bed, ignoring the irritated looks from the American traitors in the room "Oberleutnant Loder, are you awake?"

Garrison frowned, he'd heard them come in and he'd been expecting this visit. As he played at struggling to get his eyes open he hoped he'd be hearing what he needed to hear from the Italian. If not he'd have to suggest it himself. "Capitano Giordano?"

"Lie at east Oberleutnant." There was no sense in testing the doctor, he was quite certain he would at least attempt to carry out his threat. "I want to commend your men. They have brought back very valuable information to me."

Craig dipped his chin acknowledging the compliment and continued to wait, willing the man to give the order.

"There is another service you can do for me."

"We are at your command, sir."

The doctor shifted and was about to interrupt but was silenced by a wave of the Italian comandante's hand.

"I am evacuating this location Loder, and when we pull out I want you and your men to take the rear position."

"This is an outrage! These men are not fit to…"

"Herr Doktor, bitte!" It was Garrison who stopped him this time. "As I understand it you do not have adequate transportation to evacuate all of your patients as it is. If we go in the car we used to get here that will leave two extra spots on your trucks…." He fixed the Italian captain will a cooperative stare. "We can protect your rear, Captain, and if the American's make better time than you expect, we can slow them down for you." He glanced at the doctor again to reassure him. "If we are overtaken and end up behind the lines it will be a small matter to convince the Dummkopf's that we are members of their own Army, a special unit sent across the lines to gather information for them. We have done it before, doctor, it is how we survive." Turning his attention back to the area commander. "When shall we be ready to leave, sir?"

ggg

At least they'd given them enough time for the Warden to soak up the plasma they'd managed to get past Neurath for him. He'd gotten himself another shot of penicillin and courtesy of Goniff's talented fingers and deep pockets they had some morphine just in case.

Casino waited for the door to close on the orderly, Kurt, who had just been in to unhook all of the paraphernalia. "So, why don't we let them drive off and just sit here and wait for our guys to take the place?"

"You're forgetting something, Casino. Our side will be softening this place up with artillery first."

He'd probably never make a tactition... Casino nodded. "We're gonna need uniforms."

Their car would be pulling out last. Garrison convinced the Italian commander that he and his group should delay for a little while. They would hang back, he told him, in case the American advance was too fast. That way they could buy him extra time by misdirecting the Allies search for them. They would have to start out the con in their American uniforms. Casino, Goniff and Chief were already set. The uniforms he and Actor would use were brought from their hiding place in the car. Giordano didn't have a knack for special forces, Garrison thought, he didn't even ask how they would explain wearing clean American uniforms over their bandages while the others were in soiled, blood stained clothing.

Once the town was evacuated and they were sure the column was really gone they'd have to change into German uniforms. Checkpoints were being left behind and they already knew the men manning those posts probably had orders to maintain their positions until they saw evidence of the American advance. They would fade off into the trees after that and report the Allies movements to Giordano via radio until they were killed or captured.

"What d'you want me to get, German or Italian?" Goniff was already at the window ready to leave. He had a good idea where to go, the laundry for the base was just off the park. The order to evacuate had been given at the last minute so he figured most of what they needed would be left behind right there.

"Doesn't matter, does it? They'r workin' this area together." Casino fell in behind the second story man, he'd be going along to handle any locks that barred the way.

"Goniff…" The Warden spoke up quietly. "Officer rank for…."

"A course, Warden. You an Actor got too much class t' be common foot soldiers." Unless he was told different he just always got the Warden and Actor officer gear. They looked out of place in anything else as far as he was concerned.

"...Highest rank you can get for Actor."

"Right!" The little man smiled. "How 'bout General?"

Garrison gave a short laugh. If there was a general's uniform around here there would have been a general to go in it and their con probably wouldn't be working. Still…"If you can get it."

"Blimey!" The little Brit turned back from the open window. "I was only jokin, mate."

"I'm not." The Lieutenant turned serious as he explained. "The higher his rank the easier it'll be for me to talk our way through the check points they'll leave behind them."

"You!" Casino snorted his objection. "You can't…."

"Well he can't either!" Garrison jabbed a finger in Actor's direction. "You guys don't speak the language and I don't think you'll be able to sell the same dodge you used to get us in here again to get us out!"

Chief caught Casino by the shoulder to keep him from continuing the argument. The Warden didn't have the energy to waste on it. "Yeah…. Well… But how'r you gonna talk us across."

Garrison rested his head against the pillows and closed his eyes. "I'll just tell them he wants to see the lines for himself."

"But, lookit 'im." The cockney pick pocket jerked his thumb at Actor. "They'r never gonna believe he should be up walkin about."

The Warden opened his eyes and glanced at the con man where he sat up in the bed with a half amused, half confused look on his face as he tried to follow the argument. "They'll believe it." He said with certainty.

"Why?!"

"Because," he caught his second's eye and smiled. "I'll convince them he's crazy." Garrison closed his eyes again. "Now get out of here and get the stuff. After you're done get some rest if you can, we don't have very much time until we have to put this thing in motion."

He heard all three of his cons leave by the window, Chief would be providing back up for the other two. The room was quiet for several moments before Actor spoke.

"You say we do this all the time?" The younger man just gave him half smile as his answer. "Surely there must be an easier way…"


	7. Chapter 7

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Giordano's personnel formed up well before dawn and by the time the sun was up the last of his few trucks rolled out of sight, leaving them in a ghost town. Their orders were to wait for half an hour before setting off after the main column. They waited at the car while Chief made his way to the edge of town and watched to insure no one from the column turned back. As soon as he got back and gave them the all clear the men changed into their German uniforms. When they took off they headed south for the American lines. There were still check points for them to get through manned by soldiers left behind, sacrificed to feed information back to the column by radio. They'd already talked their way through the one just at the edge of town and now they were facing what Garrison hoped would be the last before they had a clear shot at the Allied lines.

When the car rolled to a stop and Garrison politely requested they be allowed to pass the young soldier on the last barrier stubbornly held to his orders not to let anyone through to the south. The guard endured a verbal dressing down and still held firm. He was going to need convincing and that wasn't going to happen if Garrison had to stare up at him from his seat inside the car. At the Warden's order Chief put the vehicle into reverse and parked in the shade of the trees that lined the road.

Garrison hoisted himself out of the car and stood leaning against the door while he waited for the ground to stop moving under his feet and his head to stop spinning. To cover he adjusted his gloves while he did his best to stare daggers at the young soldier.

"You sure you can do this?" Casino asked as the Lieutenant mopped the sweat off his face.

"Sure. Piece a cake." But it was another moment before he gathered the strength to start off.

"What is he doing?" Actor watched the Warden as he made his way across the road.

"He's doin' what you guys usually do." The safe cracker watched Garrison stalk towards the barrier. "He's gonna con the guard into letting us through." And he better be quick about it, he thought. The first barricade had gone up as soon as the guards saw Actor's uniform. This guy must be short sighted or so scared he couldn't think straight.

Actor leaned forward in the seat and started to lower the window. Casino reached across and clamped a hand on the con man's arm. "What d'you think you'r doin?"

The big man turned an innocent face towards him. "I want to hear."

"Jeeze! No you don't! You gotta play this right or that guy out there won't buy it." He explained, setting the scene. "You'r a high rankin' schmuck and you don't give a damn what the Warden's doin' as long as he carries out your orders and you get what you want."

After a moment Actor subsided back in the seat and took on the disdainful, disinterested look they were used to.

The Lieutenant was having trouble with the guard. Maybe the guy was new and didn't know he was supposed to be scared of crossing his superior officers. Maybe Garrison just didn't have the force he usually did when he was delivering his lines. Whatever the reason it was taking longer than it should, and the men in the car were getting nervous.

"You wanna just roll through and take the guy out?" Chief asked quietly.

"We can't do that. We're still too close to the last checkpoint. Somebody'll hear us and come out to investigate. Then we'd have a pack full of 'em on our tail." Casino answered. He chewed on his lower lip and continued to watch the two men at the barrier.

"Bloody Hell! We gotta do somethin'!" Goniff whispered. "Lookit the Warden's uniform."

Garrison was facing the guard, turning to maintain their positions as the young man stalked his way through his refusal to cooperate, that left his back to the car. There was a stain darkening the back of his uniform, down by his right elbow.

"Alright! That tears it." Casino slid his pistol from its holster on his belt and made a cursory check of the weapon. The sound of Goniff and Chief performing the same task could be heard in the car. They'd have to take the risk... Take the sentry out and just run for the American lines.

Actor slid forward and reached for the latch on the door again but his movement brought on a wave of dizziness. His knuckles went white on the latch and he closed his eyes briefly before taking a deep breath and opening the door. "Help me."

"What?"

"I said help me. I need to get out of the car and go over there."

"NO!" The group's explosive expert leaned over and pulled the door back, blocking the Italian's exit. That's all they needed right now, a fight with the Krauts and trouble with their loopy con man! "You'll foul everything up. What you need to do is sit right where you are and let us handle it."

Actor turned an exasperated look on his teammate and when he spoke there was no sign of the intermittent uncertainty they'd dealt with since he'd come to in the hospital. "Casino don't be a fool! That guard isn't buying what the Warden is selling. And if you two blast our way through you _will_ draw too much attention. All we need to do is put a little more pressure on him…"

"Blimey! Welcome back Actor." The second story man grinned from the front seat.

Casino shot a look at the group's scout and after a hurried, silent visual conference gave him a quick nod. Chief rolled out of the car and opened the door for the confidence man, reaching in to help him to his feet. The guard on the barrier stood stock still and watched as the tall SS Colonel with the bandaged head unfolded himself out of the staff car. All it took was two steps in the direction of the road block and they had the decision they needed. The guard threw a hasty salute in Actor's direction and pulled the barrier out of their path. The group's confidence artist was settled back in the rear seat of the car again and they waited for the Warden to make it back to the vehicle.

Garrison turned and started towards the car but his gait was uneven. It was subtle, but to the men in the staff car it was like an alarm going off, the Warden was in trouble. Chief put the car in gear and eased forward, as soon as the vehicle started to move Garrison swung back towards the guard. The young man came to attention again, listened intently then saluted before gathering his gear and heading back down the road towards town at double time. By the time the car came to a stop next to the Warden the guard had already made it around the bend in the road and they were alone at the check point.

Garrison started around the car but had to reach a hand to the hood to steady himself. Both Casino and Chief climbed out to go to his aid. He was breaking out in a cold sweat and his color was fading fast, but the thing that concerned the two men the most was the fact that the Warden waited for their help instead of waving them off like he usually did.

"What'd you tell that guy?"

"Just what he wanted to hear... I told him his orders changed and instead of waiting around here to get caught or shot he was to rejoin his unit."

"Jeeze! Too bad he couldn't a been as quick about putting that barrier up as he was to bug out a here."

They eased their commander into the back seat, and Goniff shifted from the front to the back to play nursemaid to the two injured men. Chief jogged around the back of the car and got into the driver's seat. Casino took Garrison's pistol as a back up, he wasn't in any shape to use it anyway, and slid in front to ride shot gun.

"How ya doin' Warden?"

"I'm glad I won't have to do that again." He confessed as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Actor reached out and took the Warden's wrist in his large hand. The man was slick with sweat and ice cold, his face ashen. His pulse was too fast and he hadn't tried to pull away. "Here, Goniff, he needs to be lying down."

A moment later the Warden was stretched out across the back seat, his head on Actor's leg. Goniff crouched on the floor between the seats and slid out of his tunic He spread the garment over their commander, tucking it around him. The man never made a move, never protested their help. "Better put your foot in it, mate."

Chief accelerated away from the check point and headed south for the American lines.

"I don't want to hear it, Casino."

The east coast con shifted so he could see into the back seat. "Hear what?"

Garrison cracked his eyes open but didn't make a move to sit up. _"You_ telling _me_ that _I'm_ nuts when I lay out a plan…. Not after this."

"Hey!" The safe cracker protested. "My plan worked didn't it?"

"So do mine."

Casino gave a derisive snort. "Besides this dodge was all your fault."

"How'd you figure!?"

"I just followed one a your damn rules."

"Which one!" The Warden raised his head, ignoring the pain in his side and the dizziness. If Casino was starting to follow any kind of rules he wanted to get a good look to make sure it was really him.

"I just told 'em the truth…." This time it was Garrison's turn to let out a disbelieving laugh. Casino watched him as he relaxed back and closed his eyes again. He turned so he was facing forward but turned back again with a jerk. "Say, Warden, you wouldn't wanna give up that magic decoder ring a yours so we can get through the lines again, would ya?" But Garrison wasn't in any shape to answer. "Oh swell! What d'we do now!?"

Chief shot a look at Casino and his mouth lifted in a quick smile. "Don't know, man, you're the boss. You figure it out."

g

It didn't take long before they were hearing shells singing overhead. Once they passed the last check point Chief had taken the smaller side roads that led off to the west, off to the edge of where they thought the main forces would be moving up. They hadn't come across any of the Allied units but it was only a matter of time. Garrison was still out cold in the back and Actor's brief foray into confidence and his outburst of authority hadn't lasted, he was dizzy and a little confused again, there was no way he'd be able to talk their way through the lines. After a hurried conference they did the only thing they could do, they tied a white cloth to the radio antennae and cautiously continued on their way. Casino and Chief stripped down to their white undershirts for good measure.

They went on as long as they dared then pulled to the side of the road and waited. It didn't take long. There was a shout from the brush that lined the road. And they watched as an American patrol moved carefully up on their position, rifles fixed on them as they sat in the car.

"Verlassen Sie ein Auto!"

"Fuori! Ora!"

Casino stuck his hands out the window, the pistol dangling between the thumb and first finger of his right hand. Chief and Goniff did the same. They waited a moment so the soldiers could see what they were doing and then tossed the weapons onto the road towards the front of the vehicle.

"Hände oben!"

"Keep your shirt on Mack!" Casino shouted as he rolled out of the car and placed his hands on his head. "And, Jeeze! Talk American will ya? I'm tired a hearin' that other crap."


	8. Chapter 8

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"Warden? Hey Warden, you awake?"

It seemed like there were equal parts excitement, concern and amusement in the safe cracker's voice. Garrison frowned and decided whatever it was could probably wait. He shifted with a groan and tried to turn away from the intrusion to his rest. "Go away Casino."

"Come on, babe, open your eyes. You'r not gonna believe this…" ...and you been asleep too long and the corpsman says you need to wake up and get somethin' in you, the groups explosive expert thought to himself.

He was being shaken by a hand on his shoulder now. It was gentle but persistent. Didn't look like Casino would be going away any time soon. Craig sighed and tried to pull his eyes open. He blinked around at his surroundings but it took a moment for what he was seeing to register, as soon as it did he pulled his head up off the pillow. "Where are we?"

"Do you believe this?" The east coast con gave the all too familiar room a wave of his hand. "Our guys moved up and secured the town so fast the medics back at the aid station decided to bring everybody into town this morning. They say as fast as the front line's movin' this little burg will be a 'rear area' by tomorrow. They even think the field hospital will probably move in here too, maybe as soon as tonight. So all you gotta do is lay there and wait, babe, and the docs will be makin' a house call."

The Warden glanced at the bed that sat next to the window. It was empty now, but by the state of the bedding it was obvious someone was using it. "Where's Actor, is he alright?"

"Oh, sure! He's still a little goofy but he's gonna be OK. Chief and Goniff took him back over to that park."

They'd taken turns actually, just like they'd done since they got back to their own side. Actor was still dizzy and confused but according to the corpsman who was looking after them it was OK for him to be out of bed as long as he didn't get too tired. It took a pair of them to keep track of the loopy con man though, so when he wanted a change of scenery two of them would push him around in the wheelchair, or walk with him, while the third hung around the room and watched out for the Warden.

Garrison needed more than just a little seeing to by the medics when they got him to the aid station. Along with no blood and short rations on plasma and penicillin the German doctor hadn't had enough in the way of supplies to do a good job of stitching him up, that's why he'd busted open and started bleeding at that check point. The way it looked to Casino he figured the Warden lost another quart of the red stuff in the car before they finally got back to the American side. The medics cleaned everything up and stitched the wound closed, then proceeded to do what they could to fill him up with plasma and saline. Their own supplies were limited, and they had to hold most of the stuff in reserved for the expected battle casualties. Once his blood pressure was stable a corpsman explained, just like the Kraut doctor had, that all they really had to do was let him sleep, fill him up with water, and get him to eat when he could handle solid food and he'd rebuild the blood he'd lost in time. All of them offered, but the medics wouldn't take their blood….it was too soon after the last time they were tapped and by the time they were ready again, he wouldn't need it.

Casino figured if sleep really equaled blood the Warden shoulda been about topped up by now, he'd been out since they reached the aid station yesterday morning, and he'd slept right on through the transfer back to the hospital in San Gorgonio.

Garrison relaxed back against the pillows and waited for the dizziness to fade and the pounding in his head to go away. "How's the battle going?"

"Like I said. Our guys moved up pretty fast. Artillery blasted the north side a town and that road Giordano took." Casino was glad to know the information they provided had played a big part in that. They were able to pin point the part of town where the barracks and storehouses were. When the artillery came in that's where it landed, leaving most of the town standing. He figured the poor slobs that lived here already had enough to deal with, no sense blasting their homes and businesses to bits if it could be avoided.

"Did they catch him?"

"Not yet. They got a couple dozen prisoners penned up in the park…" He'd gotten close enough on one of the trips out with Actor to do that little head count. For some reason he couldn't really understand Casino found he was glad when he didn't see Kurt or the doctor milling around inside that wire cage. "…That kid from the last check point's down there." He frowned when the Warden just closed his eyes and nodded his head. "How 'r you feelin' anyway? And don't give off with that 'fine' crap again, OK?"

It took him a minute to give his answer. "Feels like the room's moving.... My head hurts... "

"It should. The medic said you'r still about half empty. Here, drink some a this." The corpsman had left strict orders on the subject of getting this concoction into the Warden. It was some sort of tonic or other that was supposed to help in the blood building department. Casino slipped his arm behind the Lieutenant's neck and shoulders and lifted as he offered the cup.

"What is it?"

There was a suspicious note to the Warden's voice but Casino could hardly blame him, the liquid in the cup had a….well, a distinctive odor. But he did his best to sell it. "Juice. Booze. Tea made from old socks! What d' you care!? Come on," he cajoled. "It's s'posed to be good for you."

It seemed like there were fumes coming off the surface of the cup's contents. "I don't want it."

"What d' you mean, you don't want it!" Casino snorted a laugh and inched the cup closer. "I'm still in charge here and I say you want it…"

Garrison went from eyeing the cup to staring at the man leaning over him. "You're in charge!?"

"Who else? You'r flat on your back and Actor's still two bricks short of a load…"

"Wait a minute! I give the orders around here." The Warden insisted, but there wasn't much force to back up his claim.

"OK." Casino sat the cup on the stand next to the bed and pulled his supporting arm from behind the Lieutenant's head. Stepping back he planted his fists on his hips and threw down a challenge. "Get up on your feet and give me an order. Come on! I'll take it,,,, I won't even complain about it. I promise." He actually couldn't wait for the chance to hand the reins over again, but he knew there was no way that was going to happen, at least not today.

He gave it a halfhearted try but he couldn't even manage to sit up. Garrison relaxed back against the pillows. "Alright, …. You're in charge."

"See?" He stepped in close and lifted the Warden up again and offered the cup. "Now follow orders for a change and drink this stuff, will ya?"

It was a struggle and only half of the contents of the cup were consumed before Garrison gagged and finally pushed Casino's hand away. "That's enough. I'd rather have the head ache."

"Come on! Don't be like that. It's not that bad." He urged the mug on his injured commander again.

"Then _you_ drink it." Garrison reached up, wrapped his hand around the man's wrist and pushed the offending cup away from his face.

"Alright…. I will!" He took a pull just to prove how bull-headed the Warden was being and immediately started looking for someplace to spit it out. The sink was only a few steps away in the corner of the room, but it still took him almost too long to get there. Casino turned on the taps and dumped the rest of the cup's contents down the drain then spent a moment more as he rinsed his mouth out. He carefully washed the cup, filled it with clear water and returned to the bedside.

"Jeeze! That's disgusting!" he mumbled to himself. "You gotta feel better after drinkin' that swill!" Slipping his arm under the Warden's neck and shoulders he raised him up again, the cup held close in his other hand.

Garrison stiffened and fixed him with a suspicious stare. "What's that?"

"For cryin' out loud! What's with you, anyway?! It's water, now drink it down, will ya?"

It didn't smell like anything but after that last batch of witches' brew he didn't think he wanted to take any chances. "I don't want it." he said with as much authority as he could muster.

'Jeeze! Are we gonna start that again?! You'r worse than Stefan aren't ya? Now stop givin' me so much trouble and do as you'r told."

Garrison smiled at the thought of Casino's youngest brother and the stories the family had told about Casino's roll in helping to bring him up. He finally relented and drank off the water the safe cracker was offering. It went a long way to wash the taste of the other stuff out of his mouth.

"Finally!" He slipped his arm from behind the Warden and returned to the sink to refill the cup.

"You're not really in charge, you know. I still give the orders around here." Garrison mumbled from the bed.

"Yeah, sure." Casino rinsed his mouth again and took another moment to top up the cup before turning back for the bed. He sat the mug down on the stand next to the cot, settled on the chair and issued an order he knew would be obeyed without argument, Garrison had already faded out. "You just get some more sleep, Warden." Slouching further down in his chair he propped his feet up on the end of the bed, crossed his legs, and promised quietly in his own drowsy mumble. "Maybe I'll let ya start givin' orders again tomorrow." By the time the others rolled in five minutes later he was sound asleep, just like the Warden.

g

The door to the room swung open and a young man called out "Hey I got a message from a Major Reynolds here."

As soon as the door moved Chief shifted his position from resting against the wall near the window to a spot at the end of Actor's bed where he'd be between the door and the rest of the group. His right arm was held down by his side, a little behind his back and the knife was already in it, the blade ready.

"Keep it down, mate" Goniff hissed

The private stopped with a jerk as he remembered where he was. "Sorry!" The young man glanced back down at the paper in his hand. There was no specific recipient listed, he'd just been told to haul it over here and hand it over to the head guy of this group. "Well who do I give it too? Who's in charge?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Goniff shoved off his chair, the game of solitaire he was currently cheating his way through immediately forgotten as soon as he noticed Chief's knife. He laid a hand lightly on the young man's shoulder and waited until he turned to face him. Together they considered their teammates. The Warden and Casino were already dead to the world when they brought Actor back almost an hour ago and as soon as they'd gotten the con man back in his bed he'd followed them off into dreamland. All of them remained soundly asleep despite the intrusion.

The message bearer just held the paper out and waited for someone to take it.

Chief took a deep breath and let it out, folded the switchblade back into it's harness and then glanced up at Goniff with a slight smile. "Flip you for it?"


End file.
